


With(out) you by my side

by Nini_Niji



Series: Hiki and Howl [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Cute, Everyday Life, Feels, Fluff, M/M, OC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2018-06-05
Packaged: 2019-01-25 02:31:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 44,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12520960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nini_Niji/pseuds/Nini_Niji
Summary: Howl has to leave Hiki for a business trip. They have never been apart for so long!How will Hiki cope with the loneliness and what does Howl's assistant have to do with all of this?





	1. The Departure

 

It was a normal day in Hikaru's life. He got up in the morning, made breakfast and bento for himself and his husband Howl, kissed him goodbye when he left for work, worked some chores off his list and went to college.  
After school he had a short four hour shift at the cosplay café today. Every three weeks the cosplay theme switched, but the maid theme was repeating every three months. And it was that time.  
Hiki didn't like the maid theme. It always reminded him of a huge fight he had with Howl, because Hiki's boss wanted the staff members to dress as sexy female maids. Even the guys. Hiki didn't feel comfortable with it, but it was his job. When Howl found out, he snapped. It was a really bad fight.  
End of the story was that Hiki was allowed to wear shorts as a compromise. And his boss only agreed because many female customers came to the café to see Hiki. The staff members had to use aliases because of a stalker incident that happened to one of the waiters before Hiki started working there. His work name was Atsushi.  
  
"Atsushi-kun is so adorable!", "Atsushi-kun, please take a picture with us!", "Atsushi-kun, I want to braid your hair!", "Atsushi-kuuuuuuun!!!"... It was a little straining sometimes, but the girls were nice and they tipped him well, so it was fine.  
After his shift ended Hiki went straight home to get dinner ready. Usually when Hiki had to work, Howl picked him up and they ate outside or ordered in, but since Howl had to work longer today, Hiki wanted to cook. He had enough time left and Howl loved his cooking. It made Hiki happy to watch Howl eat his food with so much passion... Hiki blushed and smiled fondly while thinking about it. He couldn't wait to see Howl.  
The train ride home had felt like an eternity.  
He stepped into the elevator and entered a code, so it would go up to their condo. The door opened and he walked through their private hallway, opened the door and...  
There was Howl... rushing from the living room to the bedroom and back to the living room, then to the bathroom... why was he at home already and why was he in such a haste?  
"H-Howl?"  
Howl didn't even notice Hiki. He was deep in thought, mumbling:  
"Did I pack the toothbrush? Dammit, I forgot a towel. No wait, they have towels at the onsen, get your shit together Howl Harada.". Hiki raised his voice:  
"Howl!!"  
This time Howl noticed him.  
"Ah Hikkun! You're home! I'm sorry for not picking you up today and we also won't eat dinner together."  
"What happened?"  
"This big client wants to see me asap. I have to go to Akita for a week."  
"A... A whole week!?"  
Hiki was shocked. The longest they had been separated since they met was two days. Normally Howl didn't have to leave town overnight, most of his clients lived in Tokyo and foreigners loved to travel here, so this was a first.  
Howl noticed Hiki's dismay and stopped packing. He walked over to Hikaru and hugged him.  
"Hiki, I'm sorry. I know this is sudden and it won't be easy for both of us, but this is a really important client who will bring a lot of money to the company and it will give us more influence on the market. I have to do this. He's at an onsen and invited me there. I can't say no. I wanted to take you with me, but you have exams coming up, so you can't take off from school, right?"  
"Ah no, it's okay! Really! It's your job, it's important of course! It just was really unexpected. Of course you have to go!" Hiki assured him and smiled.  
"Let me pack for you, I'll be much faster and you would forget half of your stuff if I don't help you. Just sit down and breathe for a second, you look really tired."  
"I love you." Howl said and kissed Hiki.  
"I know." Hiki said and smiled. "Now sit down and let me finish this, you're in the way."  
Hiki turned Howl around and pushed him over to the sofa.  
"When do you have to leave?"  
"My taxi will arrive in 30 minutes."  
"30 MINUTES?" Hiki panicked and started running around in the condo just like Howl a few minutes ago. Howl giggled, but let him have his way. Hikaru wanted to show his support and that made Howl very happy. Fifteen minutes later the suitcase and a handbag were packed and a huffing Hiki slumped down on the sofa, right next to Howl.  
"Hiki, you're the best wife a man could ever wish for. Thank you." Howl said, took Hiki's face with one hand and kissed him.  
"I'm a man." Hiki said and kissed Howl back.  
"You sure are. That's one of the million things I love about you."  
Hiki giggled.  
"Hiki..."  
"Hmm?"  
Their faces were so close, the tips of their noses were touching and Hiki could feel Howls hot breath on his lips.  
"I still have 15 minutes..."  
"Hmm. But that's not enough." Hiki whispered and moved his lips even closer to Howls.  
"Not to go all the way, but..." he stopped talking and moved his free hand down to Hiki's waist.  
"We can do a little...", he said and caressed Hiki's bulge.  
"Hnn..."  
Howl kissed Hiki and licked Hiki's lips. Hiki opened his mouth so Howl's tongue could slip in. One of Howl's hands was still placed on Hiki's face, but the other was opening the belt, then the button and at last the zipper of Hikaru's jeans.  
He pulled out Hiki's half hard dick, a bit of precum was already leaking as he slowly started pumping up and down.  
"Ah hmm!" Howl's big, warm hand felt so good.  
Hiki's face was red and hot as their tongues entwined passionately. Their kiss deepened and saliva was dripping down Hiki's chin.  
"Ah... haa... hn..."  
"Hiki, you're already hard. That was fast." Howl grinned.  
"Hngh, that's ugh... because I'm tired... ah... from work!"  
Howl tightened the grip around Hikaru's now fully erect cock and started pumping faster.  
"Hnaaahh Howl wait! What- about- you... AH!"  
"I'm fine. I just want you to feel good. Remember this during my absence."  
Hiki's heart throbbed and he felt a wave of sadness crushing down on him. Howl is not going to be here for a whole week. As he fully realized what that meant, tears welled up and he interrupted their passionate kissing to bury his face in Howls neck, clinging onto him.  
Howl felt sad too, but he wanted to be strong for Hiki.  
"It's okay my sweet Hiki, time will fly. Remember this."  
Howl was focusing on Hiki's tip now. He rubbed a certain spot with his thumb. Hiki wouldn't last. He was about to cum! Howl kept teasing that place.  
"Howl... hnn ... NO... AAH!!..." Hiki was huffing and trembling while cumming in Howl's hand.  
"Haa... haa... hnm" Howl kissed Hiki eagerly and they started to shift into a horizontal position.  
Suddenly the doorbell rang and both jolted from that sudden interruption.  
"Crap. That's my taxi." Howl said with a sad expression.  
"Mh." Hiki replied. "Time to say good bye."  
"Oh, Hiki!" Howl had walked into the bathroom to wash his hands and just came back to the living room, grabbing his luggage and coat as he spoke.  
"I told my assistant to look after you. Please call him if you need anything. You also still have the credit card I gave you, right? I know you don't want to use it, but please don't hesitate if it's an emergency!" Howl said as they walked to the elevator.  
"Fujimura-san will look after me? But you don't need to worry, I will be fine, I'm not a child anymore, you know?"  
"Hikaru." Howl only called him by his given name when he got serious, which caused Hiki to tense up. "You have never lived alone before. You moved from your parent's house to our condo. It's not that I think you can't survive on your own, you're not an idiot. But in case anything happens, I want someone to be here. I was thinking of calling your family and ask your little brother to move in for a week, but he has college too, over in Machida, so that's not possible. So please let Fujimura look after you and please call him if you're in trouble. For me. So I don't worry sick every single second I'm in Akita." Howl pleaded. As if he would be less worried, but at least he would be able to focus on his job properly.  
He even wanted to invite Hajime over for a week? Hiki sighed.  
"Haa... okay, okay. If it means that much to you."  
Howl kissed Hiki on the forehead. "I love you Hikkun. Please be safe. I'll call you every night."  
"Focus on your work, baka." Hiki said, while hugging Howl tightly, trying his best not to tear up again.  
"I love you." Howl said, then he kissed Hiki goodbye and walked into the elevator.  
As the doors closed, Hiki whispered "I love you. Be safe."  
Hiki swallowed.  
"Well... I guess I'm alone now. I should grab something to eat and clean up Howl's packing mess. This man..." Hiki giggled, and followed his plan.


	2. I miss you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goukon = Group blind date

 

Three days later...  
Hiki woke up at 6am. The time he usually set his alarm when Howl was at home, so he had time to prepare breakfast and a bento before he left.   
Hiki hadn't set the alarm since Howl was still on his trip, but habits die hard.  
He was lying in their big bed, snuggled up in his blanket. Howl was a blanket thief, so Hiki insisted on getting separate blankets. He didn't only steal it, he kicked it from the bed when he got too warm, so they both were without blankets at one point. Hiki told Howl that he's freezing at night but Howl's reply was "Just come closer and cuddle with me, my body heat will warm you.".   
"No cuddling of any kind until we get new blankets!" Hiki replied, which convinced Howl, and they went shopping that afternoon.  
Hiki looked over to Howl's empty side of the bed. Hiki missed him so much. He tried not to spend much time at home, because he unconsciously kept waiting for the door to open and for Howl to step in.   
Hiki grabbed Howl's pillow and buried his face in it. He took a deep breath...   
"It smells like him..."   
Howl... the warmth of his touch, his big hands, his ice blue eyes, the way he talked, his voice... Hikaru inhaled deeply...  
"Haa..." his hand had automatically moved between his legs and into his briefs. Hiki imagined it to be Howl's hand, just like that day.   
"Remember this.", he heard Howls voice inside his head saying. His deep and husky voice...  
"Remember this my sweet Hiki."...  
His hand was placed on his dick as he started moving it up and down while remembering Howl's voice and his hot breath on Hiki's lips. His slippery tongue exploring Hikaru's mouth, kissing and nipping his neck. Hiki's hand moved faster. He used his thumb and tried to do it like Howl, but he was unable to find that certain spot. It was a little frustrating, but the thought of Howl's aroused face alone was stimulating enough. It was completely silent in their condo and the lewd sounds of Hikaru's movements echoed in the big bedroom.   
"Hnn ahh... Howl..." Hiki's grip tightened and his hand moved faster.   
"Mmh UFF HNGH..." Hikaru came with his face buried in Howl's pillow.   
He was lying there for a moment, huffing and blushing at the thought of how Howl would react if he knew what Hiki had done just now.  
"Ugh, that wasn't good at all. I want Howl..." Hiki said frustrated.

"Soon... He will be back soon. Only four more days. Hang in there, me!" Hiki said as he got up and jumped out of the bed.   
"I need to shake it off!", he said loudly and started jumping up and down, shaking his head, arms and legs wildly. He didn't want to be sad all the time. Howl would return soon and Hiki was absolutely not the kind of person who drowns in self-pity.   
While jumping around, his eyes caught the sheets and he suddenly stopped moving.  
"Oh. I should clean that up.", he mumbled and blushed. Then he changed the sheets and took a shower. Afterwards he pulled a shirt from Howl's closet, sniffed it and put it on.   
"No self-pity allowed, but this is self-comforting and that's okay." he nodded and went to the kitchen. Howl would freak out if he saw him wearing his shirt, Hiki thought. He loved that boyfriend style. The image of Howl’s excited face made him giggle. Four more days.

  
When Hiki had finished breakfast, he noticed that he was a little late so he quickly cleaned everything up and got dressed. He wore Howl's shirt underneath a cardigan.   
On his way to college, a 30 minute ride with a change from Marunouchi Line to Chiyoda Line and a few short walks in between, Hiki was thinking about what he should do today.   
College ended at 2pm and he didn't have to got to work today.   
Maybe a stop at Ueno Zoo, which was literally around the corner from campus...  
He could grab a bite at a ramen stall afterwards and stop at Ueno Toshogu Shrine, he liked to visit occasionally. Or he could just go straight to the library and study... but that was what he had done for the past two days.   
"Haa...!" Hiki sighed. Usually going home was the best part of the day, but Howl hadn't even called once, so the loneliness in the condo was even heavier and the silence... was so loud. "I'm gonna get some ramen and go straight to the library. It closes at 9, so I'll be home around 10. Perfect." Hiki thought.   
Time didn't want to pass. Classes felt like they were going on for hours. But then finally, lunch time came. Hiki always met with his friends Shima and Kimiko at the cafeteria.   
He had known them since junior high back in Machida, where Hiki grew up, and they met again in college. They studied together from time to time, or went to a café.  
"Hikaru-chan! Tell me you're free tonight!! PLEASE!!!" Kimiko bawled and clung to Hiki, so that he almost dropped his tablet.  
"Woah Kimiko-chan, watch out! What's wrong?"  
"Hikaru~ chaaaaaan! I need you~!"  
"Kimiko-chan please, there are so many people here, tone down your voice a little." Hiki said, while looking around.  
"Dammit Kimiko get your act together! No one is going to die!" Shima scolded her.  
"Ugh Shima, you meanie! My reputation as a party planner will die!"  
Shima scoffed and Kimiko glared at him.   
"Okay, can someone enlighten me please?" Hiki asked. Kimiko had finally let go of Hiki's arm and he was able to sit down.  
"Hikaru-kun~ Please, please, please~ come to the goukon I have planned for tonight! I know you're in a relationship, but they're not in town right? I mean, I don't expect you to cheat, no no, that would be bad~ But can you just come and pretend~? I'm one person short and the goukon I had planned for sooooo long will be a disaster and everyone will hate meeee~!" Kimiko whined.   
"Oh... a goukon... I don't know. I don't even drink. I absolutely can't handle liquor. One time I got tipsy from belgian chocolates."  
"You don't have to drink! You can drink orange juice or melon juice, or whatever! As long as you come!"  
"Mmh... I don't know."  
Suddenly Hiki's phone rang.   
"Maybe it's-..." he grabbed his bag and searched for his phone frantically. When he found it, he jumped up and walked to a corner with less people around.   
"Howl!?"  
"Hello Harada-kun. It's me, Fujimura."  
"Oh, Fujimura-san. Hello." Hiki greeted him. He didn't even try to hide his disappointment.   
"I see, so Harada-san still hasn't called you? I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe you should call him instead."  
"He must me working really hard. I'm sure he would've called otherwise, so I don't want to disturb him. I can wait."   
"He sure is."  
"Did you talk to him? Of course you did, since you're his assistant... Is he doing alright? I hope he eats properly and gets enough sleep..." Hiki said more to himself, than to Fujimura.  
"Harada-kun, are you okay? Do you have everything you need? Do you need me to drive you somewhere? Harada-san told me to look after you, but I didn't even see you in the past couple of days. I feel like I'm doing a bad job."  
"Ah, no no, you don't! I'm very sorry, I tried to distract myself and studied at the library every day, until it closed."  
"Harada-kun, are you sure there is nothing I can do for you?"  
"I am. Thank you very much for your effort."  
"Okay. Please call me if you change your mind or if anything happens."  
"I will, thank you." Hiki said and hung up.   
Hiki's heart was heavy. He wanted to hear Howl's voice so badly. Feel the warmth of his body and his big, warm hands on his... face.  
"Hikaru-kun!!?" Kimiko yelled and waved at him.  
Hiki went back to their table.  
"I'll go to your goukon."  
"KYAAA~ Thank you!" Kimiko squealed.  
"Hah! Harada, you're a goner." Shima said and slammed his fist on the table. 

Hiki didn't feel like studying today. He needed something that was more distracting than that.   
After school ended, Hiki decided to go to a shrine after all. He wasn't really religious, but sometimes he liked to go to shrines and pray. It was very peaceful and calming. He often did that when he still lived at his parents house, because the house was always filled with people and it was hard to get some silence.  
Hiki's favorite shrine was the Ueno Toshogu shrine. He enjoyed the ancient atmosphere and he loved to walk along the Sukibei wall. A wooden wall that surrounded the shrine area, decorated with beautiful carvings of all kinds of animals and mythical creatures. What made the shrine special for Hiki was the Karamon.   
A chinese style gate, with hand carved flowers and birds, covered in gold foil, that shined beautifully in the sunlight, and two carved dragons who, according to an old saying, meet at the pond every night to drink from its water together.  
But today Hiki went to Yushima Tenman-gū Shrine. A shinto shrine devoted to Tenjin, the god of learning. It wouldn't harm to leave an ema. A wooden card with wishes and prayers which are displayed at the shrine until the ritual burning, which sets free the wishes and prayers. Exams were only a few weeks away after all.

Hiki bought an ema with a tiger and the symbol for strength on it, and wrote down:   
"Dear Kami-sama, please help me through my exams. And I know you're the god of learning, but please also let Howl return safely from his trip. Thank you, Harada Hikaru".   
Hiki pressed his ema on his chest and closed his eyes, as if he wanted to make sure his prayers got through to Tenjin. Then he walked over to a big wall that was covered in hundreds of ema, most of them probably from other students, and knotted his wooden card to it. He sighed and left the shrine.   
After eating a big bowl of ramen at one of those little ramen stalls you can find at every other corner, it was time to go to the goukon.   
"Why on earth did I agree?" Hiki asked himself. He wasn't a party person. Too many people at once were exhausting for him. That was probably due to those huge family gatherings at his parents house twice a month he had to attend when he was a kid. Big yakuza family gatherings. Hiki always felt like an outsider. He wasn't cut out to be a yakuza and he had to deal with his psychotic twin cousins, who made Hiki's life a living hell at every opportunity they got. They enjoyed tormenting Hiki and he was an easy target, since he didn't fight back. Hiki hated violence. He didn't want to become like them. That thought became even stronger after a certain incident that happened when Hiki was 11 years old.

  
Hajime, Hiki's younger brother, often helped him when the twins tied him up and left him somewhere in the woods, or when they beat him up badly, and told their parents Hiki fell. Everyone called Hiki clumsy and made fun of him without knowing the real reason for his injuries. And no one believed Hajime, who had often witnessed those incidents, so Hiki stayed silent.  
But that was in the past. Hiki hadn't seen the twins in years, since their parents sent them to a high school abroad.   
And with Howl by his side those family meetings weren't that exhausting anymore. Instead of being overwhelmed by the amount of people in the room, Hiki focused completely on Howl, which calmed him down immensely.   
Hiki's heart throbbed. No Howl by his side today. Well, not that Howl would go to a goukon with him anyway. He sighed and shook his head.   
"Stop it Hikaru! Get your act together, you're a grown-up!" he said to himself and watched the scenery float by the window of the train.

 

 


	3. Cheers!

 

 

Hiki had arrived at the address Kimiko had given him.   
A karaoke bar. Of course.   
"Hikaru-kun~!" Kimiko yelled with a high-pitched voice. "Thank you so much for coming. You won't regret it, I promise!"  
"I'm not going to sing, Kimiko-chan," Hiki said with a serious expression.  
"I know, I know," Kimiko replied and rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's go inside.” She grabbed Hiki's arm and dragged him along.   
Everyone had already arrived, making Hiki the last one. How embarrassing. It was like his first day in school. His mom had him home-schooled until he was 13 before he was finally allowed to enter a private junior high. He had to stand in front of the whole class and introduce himself. He was so nervous that he began stuttering and some of the kids made fun of him afterwards.   
Déjà vu.  
"Guys, this is Hikaru-chan. Please be nice and don't eat him alive," Kimiko said and glared at the girls. In the middle of the room was a long table with seats on either side and a big flat screen TV with microphones at the end of it.  
"Good evening," Hiki said and smiled. "Let’s have a good time!"   
The girls started squealing.   
"Awww, Kimiko-chan, he's so cute!", one of the girls squeaked.   
"Come over here, Hikaru-chan! Please sit next to me!"  
"Eeehh~ Akemi-chan, that's unfair! I want Hikaru-chan to sit next to me~"  
"He can sit between you two," Kimiko decided and gave Hiki a push.   
He walked over and sat down between Akemi and the other girl. Both were pouting, but as soon as Hiki had taken his seat, they were all over him, asking him a ton of questions. He didn't even have the chance to answer -- they were like machine guns. It was a bit tiring, but at least he was distracted. The music was loud, everyone was chatting... It was perfect.   
After a few minutes, a waitress showed up. Most of the guys ordered beer, some even Scotch on the rocks and Bourbon, probably wanting to impress the girls. Hiki's manhood wasn't that fragile, so he looked through the menu for some iced tea.  
"Um... A Long Island Iced Tea, please." What a fancy name for tea, he thought.  
Time passed slowly. Hiki had hoped that he could spend more time with Kimiko, since he knew her and felt more comfortable around her, but she was too busy entertaining everyone and mingling. Her social life was very important to her, ever since she was in high school.

Unlike her, Hiki was struggling to get into the conversation with the girls on either side of him. He felt like he was sitting between two twittering birds and his ears had started to ring.  
The waitress had returned with their drinks.   
Hiki was quite thirsty from the ramen he ate before. When they toasted, he downed more than half of the big glass. Pulling his lips away from the rim of the glass, he coughed, a disgusted expression on his face.   
"Ugh! This iced tea tastes bad. I think it's spoiled or something," he said between coughs.   
The girls giggled.   
"Hikaru-kun, you're so funny!"  
"Yeah, you're adorable. Heehee!"  
Hiki had no idea why they said that, but he didn't really care to know either.   
As the night went on, he had a conversation with one of the guys and it turned out he grew up close to Machida, where Hiki was from. Hiki relaxed more and more. The atmosphere was good, the people were nice. He was finally having a good time. He kept taking small sips of his iced tea because he was still thirsty. He grimaced every time, which was very entertaining to the others. Everyone was singing, dancing, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company.   
"Hikaru-chan, I'm happy to see that you're having fun. I was worried because I basically forced you to come." Kimiko, who finally had found the time to talk to Hiki, sat down next to him. "I've never seen you act like this, though. Normally you're so shy!"  
"Ah, dunnuh. I feel good. Haha!" Hiki noticed that he had a hard time speaking clearly. He wasn't sure if he was even able to, since his tongue felt like it was made of jelly.   
"Bleh bleh bleh... Kimio-shan... My tongue fees weid. I think the tea was sssspoid... Hehe." Hiki babbled.   
Kimiko took Hiki's glass and sniffed it. "Hikaru... Is this your glass?"   
Hiki grinned and nodded. His face was red.  
"Oh, damn it! Hikaru, that was a cocktail!! Why did you order this?"  
"I wanned teeea. I was thussy fom the ramennn."   
"Hikaru, you're drunk!"  
Hiki was fully conscious. He knew what he was saying, but he couldn't control it. He felt dizzy, too. What did Kimiko mean by "drunk"? That was a cocktail? Alcohol? But he ordered iced tea!   
Suddenly Hiki felt sick.   
"Eggsguse me. Bathroom," he said as he got up and staggered towards the door. Everything was spinning and he felt like he was about to throw up. He made it just in time...   
Goodbye ramen and Long Island Iced Tea.  
Afterwards, Hiki felt a bit better. He slumped down on the floor of the booth, covering his face with his hands. "Ugh... What should I do? I don't feel good."  
The door opened and he heard the voice of that boy from Machida. What was his name again?  
"Hey, are you alright? Kimiko sent me to look after you. Do you need help?" he asked.   
"No, I'm okay. Please tell her I'm leaving. Sorry for the trouble," Hiki answered slowly, trying his best not to sound too drunk.  
"'Kay," was the guy’s reply, and then he left.  
What am I going to do? Hiki thought. He wasn't in the right condition to take the train by himself. "Great, Hikaru. Now you're in deep trouble and, without Howl, you have no one to pick you up," he scolded himself.  
"Please call me if you need anything or if anything happens."   
Fujimura-san!   
Hiki didn't want to bother him, but he had no clue how to get home and he was getting desperate. He took his phone out of his pocket and looked for Fujimura-san's number.   
"Hello? Harada-kun?"  
"Fujimura-san, I'm sorry. I did something stupid. I think I'm drunk. Can you please pick me up? I'm at a karaoke bar called Jon-Novi." Hiki gave him the address and Fujimura assured him he would be there right away. Hiki sighed loudly. What would Howl say if he saw him like this? Hiki's stomach felt like it was filled with stones and he strove to hold back his tears.  
Almost 30 minutes later, after Hiki had left the bar and sat down on a bench outside, Fujimura arrived.   
"Harada-kun! There you are! Are you alright? Why are you sitting outside? It's freezing!  
You’re going to catch a cold!"  
"I-I'm sorry, Fujimura-san," Hiki said, looking up to Fujimura with his sad puppy eyes full of guilt, his face still red.   
"Ah, it's okay," Fujimura replied in a flustered tone. "Let's get you home."  
Hiki tried to get up, but he was unsteady on his feet. Fujimura had to support him. When Hiki tried to take a step forward, his legs buckled under him and he almost fell. Fujimura caught him.   
"Harada-kun, are you really alright? The car is close by. I will carry you," Fujimura said and lifted Hiki up. "Oh... You're so light… So slender and fragile," Fujimura mumbled.  
"Mhh..." Hiki was so sleepy, he nuzzled his face against Fujimura's shoulder.  
Fujimura blushed. "Okay, let's get you home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Camry, Ioana and Oishi!!


	4. The Incident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING!!!  
> This chapter contains violence, blood, a rape scenario and a graphic picture at the end!!!

 

 

 

It was a Friday night, so there was traffic and the drive home took longer than usual. By the time they made it to the condo, Hiki had fallen asleep in the car and Fujimura had to carry him up. They entered the condo and Fujimura placed the listless Hiki down on the big, white sofa in the living room.  
"Harada-kun?"  
"Hmnnh..." Hiki could hear Fujimura's voice, but he was too sleepy to answer. His body felt numb. This was way worse than his belgian chocolate experience. If only Hiki was able to handle liquor better. He 'left' most of that cocktail in the bathroom at the karaoke bar, but apparently there was already too much of it in his system.  
"Wait right here. I'm going to get you a glass of water. Don’t move," Fujimura said. “Though it looks like you’re not able to anyway,” he chuckled and went to the kitchen.  
Hiki tried to sit up, but he wasn't even able to open up his eyes. "Fuu... mhh..."  
How embarrassing to be in such a condition in front of Howl's assistant.  
"I'm going to take off your jacket and shoes," Fujimura announced when he came back and placed a glass of water on the table.  
Hiki wanted him to leave. He just wanted to sleep off this awful state he was in.  
Fujimura pulled off Hiki's shoes, jacket, and the cardigan he was wearing over Howl's shirt.  
"Mhnno..." was all Hiki was able to say.  
"Harada-kun, your stomach is showing. Your belly button is cute, and your skin looks so soft."  
Wait... What did he just say? Hiki asked himself. Why was he talking about Hikaru's bellybutton? "Mmh..." Hiki tried to pull himself together. This was not okay. He had to move. He had to get up, apologize to Fujimura for the trouble, thank him, and ask him to leave!  
"So defenseless, Hara-... Hikaru-kun. I’ve wanted to do this since the first time I met you.  
Remember our first meeting, when Harada-san ordered me up here to go over some documents with him? You offered me tea and sandwiches. You were so cute with your little apron and so considering. The way you care for Harada-san makes me envy him. I want you to care for me, too. I...want you. Every time I see you, all I can think about are the things I want to do to you. I'm finally going to make you mine tonight."  
Hiki's heart was beating fast. Why was Fujimura saying all these things? Hiki's mind was crystal clear now, but his body still didn't want to move. Hiki tried to turn around when he suddenly felt something cold on his stomach, moving up to his chest. He froze. It was Fujimura's hand...  
"Mmhh... No..." Hiki whined, trying to get his body to move, to push Fujimura's hand away.  
"It's okay Hikaru-kun. I'll be gentle. I don't want to hurt you. Although, this is my first time with another man, so I won't promise anything," Fujimura said as he caressed Hiki's chest.  
"No...“ Hiki mumbled. Hiki didn't want this. He didn't want to be touched by this man. He felt sick.  
Fujimura quickly opened Hiki's pants and pulled them off. Hiki was now only wearing his briefs and Howl's shirt which was pushed up, exposing his chest.  
"What a beautiful sight. Tighty whiteys, huh? Very cute. Your body is so slender and delicate. Your skin is soft and spotless. You're like a siren, created to enthrall every man who crosses your path," Fujimura crooned.  
Hiki started panicking. Adrenaline was rushing through his body and his heart was beating so fast, he could hear the blood pumping through his veins.  
DAMMIT, BODY, MOVE! Hiki thought desperately. He opened his eyes and saw Fujimura leaning over him. Hiki jolted. Fujimura had pinned his arms above his head, his grip tight. He was leaning on Hiki with his full body weight, locking down Hiki's legs with his. Dammit, Fujimura was really strong.  
"Relax, Hikaru-kun. Your body is used to this, right?" he said in an excited voice.  
Hiki shuddered. "Please no!" he pleaded, but Fujimura didn't listen. He started kissing Hiki's neck and groped him through his briefs. It felt disgusting. Why was this happening? No! Hiki didn't want this! He had to fight back!  
Hiki tried to push Fujimura away. He gathered all his strength to fight the numbness in his body. He was able to release one of his legs and shoved his knee into Fujimura's crotch. Bullseye!  
"UGHHH!!!" Fujimura let go of Hiki as he slumped down, cupping his hurt groin.  
Hiki used this opportunity to escape. He was still dizzy, but he forced himself to get up. He tried to run away, but he staggered, fell on the floor, and hit his head. Everything turned black.  
When he regained consciousness, blood was running down his face.  
"Ow... My head," Hiki moaned.  
He came back to his senses and his first thought was "I must get out!" He tried crawling towards the door. But while Hiki was unconscious, Fujimura had recovered. He had used Hiki's belt to tie up his arms behind his back and he had brought Hiki back to the sofa.  
Crap! But there was no way Hiki was going to give up.  
"You little shit! Stop struggling! Your drunk ass won't remember any of this tomorrow, so just give in already!" Fujimura yelled, grabbing Hiki's shirt and ripping it. He roughly kissed Hiki's neck and moved down, licking Hiki's chest and sucking his nipples greedily. "Haaa, you taste so good, Hikaru-kun. So sweet. I thought it’d be better to be gentle, but your fear tastes delicious!"  
"No, stop it! I don't want this! You're disgusting! Don’t touch me!" Hiki yelled and tried to shake him off.  
"Shut up and stop fighting back!" Fujimura snarled. “I’m starting to lose my patience with you!” Then he raised his fist and punched Hiki right in the face.  
"UGH!"  
The punch was hard and precise. And it hurt a lot. The pain went from his cheekbone straight into his head, making him black out for a second. Hiki tasted blood. He must have cut his lip.  
But it wasn’t the time to slack off, he thought. He needed to get out of here. While Fujimura was busy opening his belt and pants, Hiki managed to turn onto his stomach. He desperately tried to crawl away, but Fujimura was faster. He grabbed Hiki by his hair and pushed him down again.  
"AHH! OW, LET GO! LET GO OF ME, PLEASE!" Hiki begged.  
"SHUDDUP! You're mine! I'm gonna make you mine now! You won’t remember this tomorrow, so I don’t care!!" Fujimura yelled as he pulled down Hiki's briefs.  
"No, please no! Why are you doing this to me?" Hikaru sobbed. He was terrified.  
Fujimura had pinned Hiki down again, not giving an inch. He groped Hiki's butt and slapped it hard. The sound echoed in the big living room.  
"NGH!!" Hiki cringed.  
"Your ass is so cute too, Hikaru-kun.” Fujimura leaned down on Hiki and whispered, “I want to eat you up!" Then, he licked Hiki’s ear, bit it hard, and pulled on one of his piercings with his teeth.  
“Mh! Ow!”  
Fujimura pushed Hiki’s head down roughly, holding him tight by his neck. He was sitting on Hiki's legs and Hiki's arms were still tied on his back, not giving Hiki a chance to move.  
Suddenly, Fujimura started to push one finger in.  
"OW NO! AH!" Hiki teared up. This was a nightmare. He wanted to wake up.  
Fujimura was violently shoving his finger in and out.  
"You need to relax more, Hikaru-kun. Otherwise, it's gonna hurt. Just let it happen," he panted and added another finger.  
Hiki's whole body was aching and Fujimura's fingers inside him felt disgusting.  
"Ow! Ugh! Let go of me, please!" Hiki whimpered. "Someone, please help me! HOWL! HOWL, HELP ME!" Hiki screamed desperately. He was so scared. He just wanted Howl to come back. He wanted to feel him, and smell him. He wanted Howl's warmth and love, but Howl was hours away. He wasn’t there and he wouldn’t come to rescue Hiki. Those thoughts were more painful than anything else.  
Suddenly, Fujimura pulled out his fingers.  
Did he come back to his senses? Hiki thought. Was it over?  
"This should be enough," Fujimura said, one hand still on Hiki's neck to pin him down, but the other hand was moving to his lap and he pulled out his erect cock. "Look at this, Hikaru-kun. Heh, your crying and begging is so arousing," he panted as he stroked his dick.  
Hikaru froze. He went silent and stopped crying. He wasn’t going to give Fujimura the satisfaction.  
"Now, now... Don’t be a spoilsport. Let me hear your sweet cries," Fujimura laughed.  
All Hiki wanted was for this to be over. For Fujimura to put it in, cum, and then fuck off.  
Hikaru was at the end of his rope.  
Fujimura spread Hiki's buttcheeks and placed the head of his dick at Hiki’s entrance. Then, he slowly started pushing in. Hiki felt like he was being ripped apart. The pain was unbearable, but he held back his screams. He didn't want to cry, but his eyes started tearing up on their own.  
It hurt so much. Without lubricant, Fujimura would literally tear Hiki up.  
"FUCK! This hurts. Stop clenching so damn hard!" Fujimura cursed.  
Hiki held in his breath as Fujimura kept trying to force his way in. This was too much. Please, just let this be over soon, Hiki thought. He felt like he was going to lose consciousness again.  
"Ah, fuck, it’s no use. Guess this is different from doing it with a woman after all. What a nuisance. Hey, Hikaru-kun, where do you keep the lube, huh?" Fujimura asked.  
Hiki wasn't able to speak a word, even if he wanted to.  
"Stubborn brat. Fine. I'll go and search for it. You stay put, you hear me?" Fujimura ordered. Then he raised his fist again and punched Hiki in the right side of his upper body.  
"URGHH!!" Hiki coughed.  
"Sorry, but I have to make sure you won't be able to move until I'm back. And it's also a warning. Don't try anything," Fujimura said as he stood up and walked towards the bedroom.  
Something that Fujimura probably didn't expect was for Hiki to recover from the blow immediately. He had taken so much physical abuse from his cousins growing up that a punch to his guts wouldn't take him out. Sure, it hurt like hell, but that wouldn't stop Hiki. This was his last chance to get out of there.  
With almost no power left, he managed to get up. It wasn't easy because of his restrained arms and his aching body, but he made it.  
"Don't fall! Walk straight!" he whispered harshly to himself and started walking towards the entrance door. He thought about locking himself up in the study and calling the police, but he would've had to pass the bedroom and Fujimura would notice him. And, without being able to use his hands, that would make for a very short fight, so the elevator down was his only choice.  
He had a hard time moving and he staggered constantly, but he was able to keep up a good pace without falling. He reached the door and pushed down the handle with his chin. It opened. He walked down the hallway towards the elevator and slumped down in front of it. His legs were shaking like crazy. But he was there! As soon as he arrived at the lobby, he could call out to the security and this nightmare would be over. He pushed the button with his forehead.  
"Ow!" Hiki had forgotten about his wound. "Please, elevator hurry!" Hiki whispered.  
He made it! He escaped! It was finally over! Hurry elevator!!  
"Well, well... You’re a tough one, aren't you? Still able to move this far. I have to say that I'm quite impressed. I didn't expect you to be such a fighter, Hikaru-kun."  
Fujimura had found him.  
He slowly walked towards Hiki with a bottle of lube in his hand.  
"No... nh..." Hiki tried to hold back his tears. He failed. He had failed to escape...again. This nightmare wasn't over. It had just begun.  
Fujimura aggressively grabbed Hiki by his hair, bent down, and whispered: "I’m gonna make you regret this. I’m gonna wreck you."  
"NGH!"  
Hiki gave up. He had no strength left to fight anymore.  
“Howl…” Hiki whispered as tears ran down his face.  
“Hehe. Harada-san can’t help you. He left you alone, and now you’re mine.”  
“That’s not true,” Hiki whined with a low voice.

Suddenly the elevator door opened. Someone was inside. The security guard?  
Hiki's eyes were blurry from the tears and the blood. He blinked fast and his view cleared a little. That person looked like...  
"H- H- Harada-san, what...!?" Fujimura stuttered. He let go of Hiki and stepped back. "Th- this... I can explain...!"  
Howl's eyes opened wide as he stared at Hiki, who was slumped against the wall in his torn shirt and his briefs, blood all over his face and his shirt, his left eye and cheek swollen, his lip cut.  
Howl snapped.  
He dove past Hiki, his attention solely on Fujimura, and attacked Hiki’s would-be rapist without a second thought.  
Fujimura went down. Howl continued to beat him up, striking again and again with no mercy.  
"Howl!" Hiki called out to him. This was no good! At this rate, Howl was gonna kill Fujimura!  
Howl didn’t give any indication that he had heard Hiki as he continued to punch Fujimura.  
"HOWL! HOWL!!! PLEASE STOP!!! LET HIM GO!!!" Hiki yelled desperately.  
Howl froze at his voice. He looked over to Hiki and his face took on a painful expression. "Hikkun… I'm gonna call the police."  
"No, Howl, please. I can't anymore. He won't do anything, so just let him go." Hiki wanted this to be over.  
Howl contemplated Hiki’s request. Then, he grabbed Fujimura by his collar and hissed down at the dazed man, "Get out of here. You have no idea what you got yourself into. You should be scared for your life." He released Fujimura, who got up slowly and tumbled into the elevator, his face battered but his soul not broken. He glared at Hiki and spat on the floor while the doors of the elevator were closing.  
Hiki shuddered.  
Howl walked over to Hikaru and untied his arms. Then, he knelt in front of Hiki and took his face in his hands. Hiki was happy to feel Howl’s big hands again.  
"Hikkun,..." He didn't know what to say. Asking him if he's alright would be stupid. He obviously wasn't.  
"It's okay. You're here now. Everything's okay," Hiki said smiling with tears in his eyes, before he passed out.

 

  
Hiki after the attack.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot to Camry, Ioana and Oishi!


	5. Aftermath 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Howl and Hiki are finally reunited. But how will Hiki cope with everything that happened?

 

 

When Hiki woke up, he realized that he was lying in his and Howl’s bed. The soft sheets and his warm blanket felt comforting. He turned his head to the left...  
Howl's side of the bed was empty.  
Howl wasn't there. Was everything that happened to him yesterday only a bad dream? Hiki sat up -- and immediately regretted it.  
"Ugh! Ouch!" His entire body hurt. He moved to feel the area around his ribs and flinched. This was where Fujimura had landed his second punch. It was throbbing in pain. He noticed that he could see something white along the periphery of his vision and gathered that there were bandages on his face.  
"Not a dream," he said to himself. But that also meant...  
"Hikkun, you're awake! Please don't move around so much. The doctor said that you should rest!"  
"Howl!" Hikaru's heart felt like it was trying to jump out of his chest. Howl was back home! "Why are you here? What happened? D-Doctor? Ngh..." Hiki put his hand on his forehead. He had a really bad headache and felt sick.  
"Easy there. I'll tell you everything," Howl said. He put a glass of water and a pill on Hiki's night stand and settled down next to Hiki. He took Hiki’s hands and started talking. "Hikkun, after those things happened, you passed out. I brought you to bed and called a doctor. He examined you and said you have a concussion, several bruises, and a possible rib contusion. You were out for a whole day. It's Sunday. He told me to give you those pain killers, but that we should get you to a hospital for a checkup as soon as possible. He also said you might be in shock, which is normal after what you’ve experienced...Thank goodness I came back early from my trip. I finished everything up as fast as I could, that's why I didn't call you. If only I did..."  
"Howl," Hiki interrupted him. "I'm so happy that you're back. I'm okay... well... not really, but I will be. Wounds heal."  
"Some of your wounds might not heal that easily. What you've been through...If you want to talk about it...Take your time and let me know when you feel like it. "Howl didn't know what else to say. He knew from his own experience that words alone couldn’t heal those kinds of wounds.  
"I want to tell you what happened." Hiki took a deep breath. He wanted to tell Howl everything. He knew Howl was worried sick about him right now and that he needed to know what had happened. "I went out with some friends and I ordered an iced tea. It was a Long Island Iced Tea and apparently that’s a cocktail... I didn't know. I accidentally got drunk and asked Fujimura to pick me up. When we arrived here, I was only half conscious and he started taking off my clothes." Hiki stopped. Then he swallowed and continued. "I tried to push him away, but I couldn’t. He was so strong...But then I managed to kick him and I tried to escape, but my body...I was too drunk. I fell and hit my head. When I woke up, he was all over me and...he told me that he wanted to make me his and that he had dreamt about all the things he wanted to do to me for a long time..." Hiki trailed off, the scenes from Friday night flashing before his eyes.  
"Hikkun..."  
"Ah… sorry. I’m okay,” Hiki assured and continued. “He...tried to...enter me but...it wasn’t working.." His voice started to break. "I-It hurt. He wanted to get lube and before he went to the bedroom, he hit me so that I wouldn't be able to run away, but I was able to escape. Unfortunately, he noticed and came after me......” Hiki stopped talking again and tightened his grip on Howl’s hands. “Ngh...I was so scared," Hiki whispered brokenly and started to cry, his body trembling. That awful feeling of helplessness and fear still lingered deep inside him. Howl gritted his teeth and embraced Hiki. "I'm here now. No one will ever harm you again, I promise you that, my sweet Hiki."  
Hiki felt safe in Howl’s arms, but he couldn't stop crying. He couldn't shake off that feeling.  
They stayed like that until Hiki fell asleep.  
Howl got up, tucked Hiki in gently, and walked out of the bedroom into their study. He sat down at his desk, picked up the phone, and dialed a number.  
"Hello, Ueda-san? How's the family doing? Listen, let me get straight to the reason why I'm calling..."

The next day, Hiki woke up feeling a little better. He overslept almost the whole day yesterday and only woke up twice to eat a little. He hadn’t been really hungry, though. Howl said the Doctor already mentioned that this could happen because of the concussion.  
It was now Monday and Hiki had school, but he wasn't in the right condition so he stayed home. The doctor had instructed him to rest for at least three weeks. That was way too long since exams were coming up, but he didn’t want to start a fight about that. He also had to take off from work. His boss would never allow him to serve customers with his face looking like this. He hoped that he wouldn’t get fired...  
The doorbell rang. Hiki wanted to get out of bed, but Howl was at home and went to see who was at the door. He had taken the day off to take care of Hiki. His head-assistant, who also had joined him on the trip, was taking care of everything.  
"Sorry for the intrusion~" Hiki heard someone say. That voice sounded very familiar.  
"Hey, Onii-chan! Woah look at you! You look like a wreck!"  
It was Hajime, Hiki’s younger brother. He was only one year younger but he was much taller. Hiki had often been mistaken for the younger one even when they were little. It was clear that Hajime adored his big brother. And while Hiki wasn't very close to his other siblings, he and Hajime had a special bond.  
"Hacchan!! What are you doing here!?" Hiki was happy to see him. It had been a while.  
Hajime jumped on the huge bed and began settling in.  
"I'm going to prepare breakfast," Howl said and closed the bedroom door behind him.  
"Hacchan, why are you here? You have school, right? What about your exams?"  
"I took a break from college. I wasn't sure anymore if it was right for me. I had a little crisis and I'm on a sort of self-discovery trip, hehe," he said while rubbing his chin. "Your hubby called our father the other day and told him what happened."  
Hiki's eyes widened.  
"Well, apparently no details were given, but he said that someone hurt you and that this guy needs to be ‘taken care of’. I overheard father talking to mother and aniki...long story short, I called Howl-nii to ask if I could do anything to help. He invited me over and now I'm gonna stay until you've recovered," Hajime said grinning.  
This was a lot to process. Howl had told Hiki's father, and now everyone knew...that someone had hurt him...His father would probably send Hiki’s oldest brother, Hiroki, over to beat Fujimura into a pulp.  
Hiki didn't want that. He didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. Hiki got out of bed."Nh. Uff." His body still hurt a lot, the painkillers doing their best to help but obviously not enough.  
"Hajime, please go to the guest room and unpack. We're gonna have breakfast soon," Howl called from outside.  
"Okay~" Hajime jumped up and walked out.  
Hiki took his bathrobe, put it on, and followed after Hajime but at a much slower pace. He felt dizzy and agitated by what Howl had done. He wanted to talk to him immediately.  
Howl was busy preparing their breakfast in the kitchen. He had made fried eggs, toast, Hiki's favorite fruit salad, and even prepared rice and fried vegetables. He was twisting and turning around in the kitchen, doing his best to make everything perfect.  
Hiki smiled. This man... He could never stay mad at him. Hiki sat down at the table on the serving hatch. While they also had a big dining table, they only used it when they had business partners and other guests of Howl's over.  
Hiki could watch Howl puttering around in the kitchen all day, but he had to talk to him about that phone call. "Howl, did you call my father?"  
"Ah, Hikkun, I didn't see you. Your dad? Yes, I did. Ah dammit, the toast!"  
"What did you tell him?"  
"I told him that you were assaulted and injured. And I asked him to take care of Fujimura."  
"B-But why? How could you do that? You know that I hate violence. So why?" Hiki wanted to know.  
Howl turned off the stove, walked over to Hiki, and sat down on the chair next to him. "Hikkun, listen. Fujimura is a dangerous man. He assaulted you and, from what you told me, it sounds like he's obsessed with you. He knows where you live. He needs a lesson or he might attack you again! I know that you hate violence, but he must be taken care of. Your brother will beat him up and teach him a lesson, but nothing more."  
Hiki didn't like that idea at all, but he knew that Howl wouldn’t stop until this was done.  
Howl kissed Hiki on his forehead. "I love you, Hikkun. You're the most precious thing to me on this planet. I will protect you better in the future. I promise," he said with a firm voice.  
"Howl..."  
"Alright, who wants breakfast?"  
"ME!!!" Hajime's voice resounded from the hallway.  
"Thought so, you hog."  
"Hey, so mean, Howl-nii!"  
"Stop whining and set the table."  
"Okay~"  
Hiki smiled fondly. He was lucky to have these two worrying about him.  
After they finished breakfast, Hiki wanted to help with the cleaning, but Howl wouldn’t let him.  
"You have to recover, Hikkun," Howl scolded him as he brought the dirty dishes to the kitchen and began cleaning up.  
"But what should I do?" Hiki asked. He wasn't used to sitting around and doing nothing. He would've liked to study, but his head still hurt and he got dizzy spells from time to time, so that wasn't an option.  
"How about we watch some movies?" Hajime suggested.  
"Hajime!" Howl scolded.  
Hiki looked over to the sofa and his expression became dark. He didn't notice it before, but the sofa was covered in blankets. Howl must have done that to cover the blood stains."I'm going to take a bath," he said and went to the bedroom. They had two bathrooms in their place; one for guests and another their private bathroom one could only access from their bedroom.  
Hiki ran the bath while getting undressed. When he walked over to the laundry basket, he passed the big mirror that was hanging right above it and froze. His body looked awful. He had bruises everywhere. In the past two days since that incident, he didn't have a chance to take a closer look at his injuries, but he didn’t think they would be so bad.  
He was wrong.

He had a big white plaster on the right side of his forehead, his left eye and cheek were swollen and badly bruised, and his lip was swollen where it got cut when Fujimura punched him. His bangs were still slightly red from the blood. Howl must’ve tried his best to clean it, but it was still visible. He also had huge bruises on his right shoulder from the time he fell when he had tried to escape for the first time, as well as on the ribs on his right side. He also had smaller bruises all over his legs and arms.  
Hiki turned around and pulled down his briefs. He had a bruise there too, from when Fujimura slapped him. Fortunately, the rest of Hiki's behind had stayed unharmed. He could've sworn he got ripped there, but he was lucky... in a way. He turned around slowly and stared at his body. Every bruise brought back the memories of that night. Hiki couldn't help it but tear up.  
"Ugh..." He buried his face in his hands. He felt weak and sad and not like himself at all. It felt like that night was a dark shadow hovering over him, taking away his ability to breathe.  
He struggled to remain calm."Okay, stop. I can't let Howl see my red eyes. He already worries enough," he said to himself. "Wounds heal."  
In that moment, the door opened and Howl walked in.  
“Hikkun, there are no towels so I brought you… some…” Howl was standing there with two towels in his hands, frozen, his eyes locked on Hiki’s maltreated body. Normally, they didn’t have any boundaries, but Hiki didn’t want Howl to see this.  
“Ah, Howl! Don’t look please!” Hiki shouted as he tried to cover himself with his bathrobe.  
“Hikkun…” Howl said with a soft voice. He walked over to Hiki and embraced him tenderly. “The bruises got worse. I’m going to take you to the hospital after you finish your bath.”  
“No, I-I’m fine!”  
“Hikaru, you need a proper checkup. I know you probably don’t feel like getting examined by a doctor right now, but please… just to make sure you’re okay...”  
Hiki knew that Howl was right. He really didn’t want to be touched and examined, but Howl was so worried…  
“Okay,” Hiki said.  
“Thank you, Hikkun,” Howl replied. Then he kissed Hiki on his head and left him to prepare himself.

 

 

Hajime 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much Camry, Ioana and Oishi!!!


	6. Aftermath 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note:  
> Oniichan = Very informal version of big brother  
> Aniki = Very formal version of big brother 
> 
> A view at their condo: https://hiki-and-howl.tumblr.com/condo

After Hiki was done with his bath, they promptly left for the hospital. Hajime joined them as well and did a great job of distracting Hiki. Hiki loved that his brother had a really bubbly personality. Hajime always made him giggle with his shenanigans. 

Hiki was examined thoroughly and the doctor informed him that he had a cracked rib, a bruised liver, a contused shoulder, and a concussion, all of which were very painful, but fortunately, his liver showed no tearing or bleeding. Hiki was allowed to go home, but the doctor advised him to come in for a follow-up checkup every week. They prescribed him new meds and bed rest for the time being.  
On their way home, they stopped by Hiki’s favorite restaurant and Howl went in to get some food. They arrived home soon after and had dinner. While eating, Hajime told them about his reasons for taking a break from college and how their father had offered for him to study abroad, which he declined.  
Hiki only wanted the best for Hajime, but he was relieved that Hajime had not gone since he was the family member Hiki felt closest to. Hiki would’ve missed him terribly. Even if they didn’t see each other much, they texted every day.  
“I’m really happy to be here and it’s also a good opportunity to get away from home. Mother and Father don’t really care about my college break, but Aniki is nagging me every single day,” Hajime groused.  
“He only means well, Hacchan,” Hiki assured him.  
“Yeah, I know~” Hajime replied in a huff.  
When they were done eating, Howl and Hajime cleaned up the table. Hiki wanted to help, but Howl told him to sit down and rest.  
"Hikkun, you didn't eat much again," Howl noticed.  
"Umm, yeah, I'm not that hungry. I’m a bit tired, to be honest. It was a long day..." Hiki answered.  
"Hmm."  
"Onii-chan, can we go swimming tomorrow?" Hajime asked.  
Before Hiki moved into Howl’s condo, Howl gave it a complete makeover. He had said, "Until now, I’ve lived here by myself, but since you're moving in, I want you to feel at home too."  
So he began showing Hiki wallpaper and carpet samples, but other than that, he didn't go into the details as to what they were for. It was supposed to be a surprise and Hiki definitely was very surprised when the time for the reveal came. He felt like he was in a dream when he first saw the new and improved condo. Before the makeover, the furniture was minimalistic and quite dark. Afterwards, everything was in bright colors complemented by the color white and their favorite color, blue. The condo now felt warm and cozy-- the perfect home. And on top of that, Howl had added in a pool area. Hiki loved water and swimming. There even was a jacuzzi and a sauna beside the pool.  
"Sure,” Hiki answered Hajime’s question. “But I’ll just watch since I’m not allowed to move around much."  
"Well, I have to go through some documents. I'm going to retreat to the study. Hikkun, Hajime, you two should go to sleep. It’s pretty late.", Howl said.  
"Aww. Howl-nii, don't act like an old man. The night’s still young!" Hajime replied jokingly.  
"I'm really tired. It was a long day," Hiki said. "I’m going to bed. Sorry, Hacchan."  
"Okay, okay. I'm gonna watch a movie in my room then. Good night, you two," Hajime said and headed to the guest room.  
"I will have to go to work tomorrow, Hikkun. I'm glad Hajime is here to keep you company."  
"Yes, me too," Hiki answered and smiled. Then, he got up, kissed Howl, and caressed his cheek."Thank you. I love you so much, Howl. Don't stay up too late," he whispered and kissed Howl on the lips.  
"I love you too, Hikkun. I'll come to bed soon."  
Hiki smiled and went to their bedroom.  
Howl took off his glasses and sighed while rubbing his eyes. He was really worried about Hiki. Something like that leaves scars, even if Fujimura didn't have the chance to go all the way. It was very close. The mental and physical distress Hiki was experiencing, Howl knew it all too well. He had been sexually abused by his stepfather when he was young. The man who was supposed to care for Howl threatened him instead, promising that he would hurt Sophie if Howl told anyone.  
It broke his heart knowing that Hiki went through something similar.  
"My Hiki..." he whispered in pain.  
While Hiki slept for almost two days straight due to his injuries, the fatigue, and the pain medication, Howl didn't leave his side. But Howl couldn’t be with him 24/7, so he had to do something to protect Hiki. And calling Ueda-san seemed like the most logical thing to do.  
After the doctor had examined Hiki directly after that incident, Howl had cleaned him up. Hiki was still unconscious at that time. He had wiped the blood from Hiki’s tormented body and had changed his clothes. Hiki had worn one of Howl’s shirts... He must have missed Howl so much. Howl felt so guilty that he didn’t even call Hiki once during his trip. All he thought about during that time was that he had to finish up his work as soon as possible so that he would be able to return four days earlier. And he arrived just at the right time.  
"Tch."  
Thinking about it, Howl and Hiki were both quite lucky that they had reunited at the exact time they had, although Howl wished none of this had happened in the first place. He didn't want to think about what would've happened if he hadn’t shown up. Hiki had already gone through hell at that point. Howl remembered the image of Hiki, half-naked, sitting on the floor, his face covered in blood, his eyes full of tears... Howl's heart throbbed in pain and he clutched his chest. A wave of agony and anger ran through his body.He felt powerless, but he would do his best to help Hiki deal with this. He wanted Hiki to feel safe. After that incident, Howl had cleaned everything up. The blood on the floor, on the sofa, and in the hallway... He had tried to rub out the stains on the sofa, but they wouldn't come off, so he had covered them with blankets for now. But first thing tomorrow, he would get rid of that damn sofa.  
"Okay, off to work," Howl said aloud to pull himself out of his thoughts.  
Taking days off wasn't easy since he ran his own company. There was always something to do. Usually, even on his days off, Howl had to work a little from time to time. Clients called or he had to write emails and such. Hiki was always understanding when Howl had to interrupt movie night and other similar activities. But Howl didn't care about anyone else but his husband right now. He wanted to give Hiki his full attention.  
After Hiki emerged from his bath, he behaved in a manner that wasn’t like him at all. Of course, Howl understood that Hiki wasn't himself right now. He was traumatized and in shock, but Howl had a feeling that the condo wasn't the right place for Hiki to be at right now. Maybe it was better to move to their house in Yokohama for a while. It was only a thirty-minute drive by car, so Howl wouldn’t have to take off from work and Hiki was exempted from college, anyway, so he wouldn’t have any problem. Hiki's family lived close by too, so maybe Hiki would feel safer there...  
Howl wasn't sure what to do exactly, but for now, work was waiting for him so he got up and went to the study.

  
In the meantime, Hiki had gone to the bathroom and changed into his pajamas. Although his body still hurt, Hiki felt comfortable. He loved their huge bed and the thought of Howl next door was comforting as well. He snuggled into the sheets and closed his eyes.  
“Oh the lamp,” he remembered and turned around to his nightstand. Then, he hesitated.  
“Howl will come to bed soon, it’s probably better not to turn it off,” he thought.  
Was he really leaving the light on for Howl or for himself? He was really tired, so he didn’t want to overthink it. He snuggled back into the comforter and pillows and fell asleep quickly.

Howl was finally done. It was around 1 am. “Time to finish up and go to bed,” Howl thought as he began to close his laptop. Suddenly, the phone rang.  
"Who the heck is calling at this hour?" Howl asked himself and picked up.  
"Harada-san, this is the security guard," a hectic voice said. "Please excuse the disturbance, but Harada-kun just walked through the lobby, barefoot and in his pajamas. He seemed distressed, and when I called out to him, he just yelled ‘I have to get out!’. I called you as soon as--"  
"I'll be right there!" Howl interrupted him. He jumped up, ran out their door and towards the elevator. What the hell was going on? It felt like an eternity until the elevator arrived.  
"Please let him be okay," Howl begged on his way down to the lobby, fidgeting nonstop.  
The security guard was already waiting for him when the doors of the elevator parted.  
"Where is he?" Howl asked.  
"He walked outside. I couldn't stop him!"  
"Thanks," Howl said and dashed towards the door. "Please be okay," he begged as he pulled the door open and stepped outside. He looked to the right. There were some pedestrians, but no sign of Hiki. He looked into the other direction and... there he was, staggering down the sidewalk, supporting himself against the wall of the skyscraper. Howl ran after him.  
"HIKI! HIKARU, STOP!" he yelled.  
Hiki stopped walking and turned around. He was crying "Howl! I have to get out! I have to get out!!"  
Howl had caught up to him, took his face in his hands, and looked deep into his husband’s eyes. Hiki seemed like he was still half asleep. "Hiki, it's okay. You're safe. No one's gonna hurt you. I'm here. I will protect you," Howl said with a firm voice.  
"Howl?” Hiki had finally awoken from his trance. “Howl, I…I’m so scared. Please, help me!" Hiki started sobbing.  
Howl embraced him and caressed his head while Hiki wrapped his arms around Howl and pressed himself close, his body shaking. "It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. Come on, let's go back home. You're gonna catch a cold," Howl said calmly and gently, lifting Hiki up into his arms.  
"Wah! Howl!" Hiki squealed in surprise.  
"It's okay, isn't it? I'm your knight in shining armour and you're my princess."  
"I'm a man, baka," Hiki blubbered, half crying and half laughing.  
"I know. And a strong one at that," Howl said as he carried Hiki back.  
They didn't speak another word after that as they made their way past the security guard of their building up to their floor and into their condo. Howl just held Hiki tight and Hiki wrapped his arms around Howls neck, buried his face in Howl’s shoulder, and sniffled from time to time. Howl carried the exhausted Hiki to their bedroom. They settled on the bed with Howl holding Hiki in his arms. Hiki fell asleep soon.  
"I'm going to protect you forever, Hikkun," Howl vowed and placed a kiss on Hiki's head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to Camry (you're amazing!), Ioana and Oishi!!


	7. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Triggerwarning! This chapter contains violence, blood and death!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kyodai (brothers) are the underlings of the Wakagashira (Waka).  
> The head of the family/clan (and the only one who's higher than the waka) is called the Oyabun.
> 
> In our family's case it's:  
> Hiki's dad Yasuhiro = Oyabun (Family/Clan head)  
> Hiki's oldest brother Hiroki = Wakagashira (First lieutenant)

 

 

Hiki woke up feeling like he’d been hit by a truck. He was sore and tired all over.  
He vaguely remembered what happened the night before. He had woken up from a very vivid nightmare starring Fujimura. The feeling of being scared and wanting to escape were so strong that he ran. The next thing he remembered was Howl’s voice and… how he carried him back.  
“Ugh… Embarrassing,” Hiki groaned as he covered his face with his hands and blushed. But then, he smiled.  
“My knight in shining armour, huh? …You truly are,” he thought fondly. He turned his head to see if Howl was still asleep, but the person beside him wasn’t Howl.  
“Cchhhhhhhhh...”  
Hiki stared at Hajime who was snoring and drooling on Howl’s pillow, his arms and legs spread out wide.  
“Huh… Hacchan?”  
A sudden loud thud and the sound of someone grumbling from the living room caught Hiki’s attention. He got out of bed, put on his dressing gown (it was his favorite and it had cherry blossoms on it) and headed towards the source of the sounds.  
“Eh?” Hiki was surprised.There were two buff men in overalls carrying their sofa.  
“Good morning, Ma’am,” one of them greeted Hiki.  
“M-M-Ma’am?...” Why was he mistaken for a woman? Did his hair grow too long? Hiki touched it, feeling insecure. Or was it his dressing gown…?  
“Howl, where are you?!” Hiki called out.  
Howl popped up from the other side of the large sofa and walked over to Hiki, greeting him with a kiss.“Hikkun, good morning. How are you feeling?”  
“I’m okay… Umm… I’m sorry about last night… I-”  
“It’s okay, I’m just glad that you’re alright,” Howl said as he caressed Hiki’s head. Hiki blushed at the sweet gesture as Howl continued, “I told Hajime to move to our bed when I had to get up so that you wouldn’t be alone.”  
Howl was always so caring and considerate. It was one of the billion things Hiki loved about him.“Um Howl, what’s going on? Where are they taking the sofa?”  
“Bad memories are now attached to it, so...a new one will be delivered tomorrow.”  
Hiki was completely dumbfounded and didn’t know what to say.“Howl, I…”  
“Hiki, after we have breakfast, please pack.”  
“What? Why? Where are we going?” Hiki asked.  
“Well, at first I wanted to take you to Akiba. To that onsen I stayed at. You would love it there. But anyway, we’re going to postpone that because you can’t travel in your current condition. Also, I can’t go because the client I had been wooing over there signed the contract. So, we’re going to move to the house for the time being.”  
“W-Wait… The client you went to Akiba for signed the contract? Howl, that’s great news! Congratulations!” Hiki said. “But, in that case, are you sure we should leave for the house right now? You’ll have to work a lot, right?”  
“I can still go to work every day. It’s only a 30-40-minute drive by car, after all. And I can also work from home. I think that a little distance from everything that happened recently and a change of surroundings would do you good.”  
It’s not like Hiki wasn’t happy about Howl’s plan. Hiki loved their house so much and he would’ve liked to spend more time there, but living in the condo, which was closer to his school and only an elevator ride away to Howl’s office, was much more convenient.  
“Is it really okay?” Hiki asked.  
“Let’s have breakfast and pack,” Howl said and kissed Hiki. “Hey, hey! What’re you doing?” Howl yelled at the movers. “The couch won’t fit in that elevator. You have to take the cargo elevator at the end of the hallway!” he continued and hurried over to them to keep them from damaging something.  
Hiki giggled and went to the bathroom to take a shower and get dressed. When he was done, he went to the kitchen to make breakfast. It was something he usually did every day and he missed it. They still had some leftovers from last night's dinner, so Hiki decided to only cook rice and make miso soup. He prepared the rice cooker, put a pot on the stove, and filled the tea kettle with water.  
“Ouch!” Hiki held his side. “Wrong move,” he thought.  
Suddenly, Howl stormed into the kitchen. “Hikkun, what’re you doing? The doctor said you have to rest! Technically speaking, you should be in bed right now!”  
“But I wanted to make breakfast. We have leftover from last night, so there isn’t that much to prepare.”  
“Hikkun, please go to bed. I’ll call you when breakfast is ready.”  
“Okay,” Hiki gave in and went back to the bedroom, pouting. He settled on the bed, pulled his legs close to his chest, and rested his head on his knees.  
Hajime was still sleeping and Hiki was watching him.  
“CHHHHHHHH...”  
“Hey Hacchan~ You’re gonna wake the dead with your snoring,” Hiki said and poked Hajime’s cheek.  
“Chhhmmnnhh...” Hajime smacked his lips and opened his eyes. “Onii-chan… mhh… What time is it?” he yawned.  
“It’s 9 am. Howl is preparing breakfast.”  
“Is he turning into a housewife now?”  
“He told me to go back to bed when I was about to make breakfast.” Hiki pouted.  
“Well, the doc said-”  
“I know,” Hiki interrupted him. He was a little frustrated at not being able to do anything. Lying in bed all day was boring. “He wants us to pack after breakfast.”  
“Oh? Where’re we going?”  
“Yokohama. He thinks a change of venue would be good for me.”  
“I think so, too. And it’s easier for our family to visit and look after you.”  
“I don’t need to be looked after. I’m fine. I’m not a weakling.”  
“You sure aren’t, brother. You’ve been through a lot in your life, starting with our sadistic cousins, over to that incident with Satoshi, up until now… Nothing and no one can break you even if you look fragile-”  
“Hey...”  
“And even if you’re sensitive, you’re a fighter. You can fight this, I truly believe that and I look up to you for that,” Hajime said.  
Hiki was deeply touched by his words. “Idiot.” He sniffled.  
“Hehe. Haaa...Time to get my lazy ass out of the bed. I’m heading to the bathroom. See you in a minute,” Hajime said as he jumped up and walked out.  
Hajime’s words echoed in Hiki’s head… “That incident with Satoshi.” Hiki hadn’t thought about that in a while.  
Harumi was their oldest sister. Next was Hiroki, then Satoshi, then Hiki, and Hajime was the youngest. When Hiki was eleven years old, his older brothers had taken him on a trip to another district after he had been hospitalized for a while because of severe pneumonia. They wanted to cheer him up.  
But in a back alley on their way to a big arcade, they ran into a rival Yakuza family and it came to a fight. Hiki’s brothers and their guards had tried to settle it peacefully because Hiki was with them, but it was no use. The other family was too aggressive. It was horrible and Hiki was very scared. Not so much for himself, but he didn’t want his brothers to get hurt.  
Satoshi wasn’t involved in that fight. Hiroki ordered him to protect Hiki and to bring him back to the car that was parked at the end of that alley, around 20 meters away. Satoshi took Hiki’s hand and dragged him along, but he was still weak from his illness and couldn’t run. Satoshi stopped to give Hiki a second to breathe, when he suddenly pushed Hiki away. Hiki fell to the floor and, at the same time, he heard two loud bangs.  
One of that family’s kyoudai had pulled out a gun and fired it. Before Hiki had realized what just had happened, his big brother had fallen to the floor with him. There was so much blood…  
They immediately put him in the back of their car, his head on Hiki’s lap, and rushed to the nearest hospital, but they didn’t make it in time. His last words directed to Hiki were, “Hiki… Be strong...” Then, he coughed up blood and died.  
Nothing was the same afterwards and Hiki had felt guilty. If he hadn’t been there or if he had been stronger, Satoshi would still be alive. His mother and sister barely talked to him or looked at him since then, and Hiroki...  
Hiki had a good relationship to his oldest brother before. Their father barely had time for them, so Hiroki filled that role. But after Satoshi died, he distanced himself from everyone and became cold.  
Hiki felt lost. Sometimes, he even thought that it would’ve been better if he was the one who got hit since those bullets were meant for him in the first place. But that was long ago. Now, Hiki knew his brother wanted him to live.  
“Hikkun, breakfast is ready!” Howl was standing at the door.  
“Ah, okay. I’m coming.” Hiki shook his head as if he tried to shake off the feelings that came with those memories and joined Howl and Hajime at the breakfast table.  
“Oh, Onii-chan, I talked to Hiroki on the phone earlier. He wanted to come over but I told him that we’re gonna go to your house, so he’ll visit you there on Thursday.”  
“Okay. He’s really busy, though. I hope it won’t be too much trouble for him.”  
“He’s your brother. Of course he wants to know how you are,” Howl said.  
“You’re right. I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t seen Aniki in a while.” Hiki smiled.  
After they had finished eating, Hajime cleaned up and Howl and Hiki packed. It was a little chaotic because Hiki’s injuries forced him to take breaks and he had to give Howl instructions. Normally, whenever they went to Yokohama, Hiki was the one who did the packing. But they were staying longer this time, so there was more stuff to pack.  
“Ahhh, enough! It’s enough! If we forget something, I can still bring it over later. I’m here for work every day, after all,” Howl panted as sweat dripped down his face.  
Hiki’s heart skipped a beat at the sight.  
“Packing is exhausting.”  
“Howl… Come here.”  
Howl did as he was told and sat down on the bed next to Hiki. Hiki reached out and touched Howl’s cheek. “Hnn…” He kissed Howl tenderly, repeatedly pecking Howl’s lips and softly biting down on them. Howl returned the kisses and then he let his tongue slide into Hiki’s mouth. Their tongues tangled as their kiss deepened. Howl tasted sweet. Hiki missed this sweetness so much. As their kiss got more and more passionate, Hiki moved closer to Howl and gripped his shirt. “Uhh mmh…” Hikaru moaned.  
Suddenly, Howl jumped up.  
“Hikkun…!” He huffed. “Ahaha, you’re really testing my control here. We should leave or we’ll be stuck in traffic for hours,” Howl said and grabbed the bag and their two suitcases.“I’m gonna bring these to the car. Please get ready and and come down to the garage,” Howl said and left, leaving Hiki panting and red-faced on the bed.  
“That was really close,” Howl thought. But he can’t do those things with Hiki right now. It would put too much pressure on his body and Hiki wasn’t mentally prepared yet. What if they do it and Hiki got flashbacks? No. Howl didn’t want that to happen. It was too early for something like that.  
“Dammit,” Hiki mumbled from the bed. “I lost control.”He hadn’t planned on seducing Howl. It wasn’t that he “needed sex” or anything. But it had been a while since their last time. Hiki missed their intimacy.  
He sighed and got up. He felt like shaking it off, but in his current physical state, that probably would’ve been a bad idea.  
“Hacchan, we’re leaving!” he yelled, and walked out of the condo.

 

* * *

 

 

  
**Satoshi at age 13, a few weeks before he died.**

 

  
**Their Mother and Father**

 

  
**Harumi, first born & Hiroki, second born**

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much Camry and Ioana! <3


	8. Arrival at the house

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You can have a look at their house here: https://hiki-and-howl.tumblr.com/house
> 
> It's a short chapter, sorry about that ^^'

 

As Howl had predicted, on their way to Yokohama, they got stuck in traffic. The usual 30-40 minute drive took three hours instead.   
Hiki had fallen asleep in the middle of the trip and was still sleeping when they arrived at their destination. Howl carried him upstairs and put him to bed while Hajime brought their luggage inside.   
“Thank you, Hajime. For everything,” Howl said as he came down the stairs. He walked over to the living room, passed the sofa, and sat down on his favorite chair right next to it. “Let’s take a short break before we prepare dinner,” Howl suggested.   
Hajime slumped down on the sofa and sighed, exhausted from the trip.   
They stayed silent for a few minutes. Then, Hajime started talking. “You don’t have to thank me, Howl-nii. Hiki is my brother. I would die for him. I was furious when I heard about what happened to him. I was dead set on joining Aniki and his kyodai in punishing that bastard, but Aniki wouldn’t let me. He said I should watch over Onii-chan for him. I know it was the better choice to visit you two. Onii-chan wouldn’t want me to get involved in something like that. I look up to him, so I don’t want to disappoint him. But Howl-nii… I’m still so angry! I’ve never been this angry in my life and I don’t know how to deal with it,” Hajime confessed as he clenched his fists.   
“I know how you feel. I feel the same. Seeing Hiki like that was... If he hadn’t stopped me that night, I would have killed Fujimura. But instead of focusing on that anger, we should focus on how we can help Hiki. He needs us. Hiroki will take care of Fujimura, so that bastard will get what he deserves,” Howl answered.  
“You’re right. But when we were kids, Hiki was tormented by our cousins all the time. I always felt so helpless. I was never able to protect him.”  
“But you were there for Hiki afterwards, right? You treated his wounds, wiped his tears, and made him laugh again. Hiki told me about it. What you did means the world to him, so don’t beat yourself up. You helped Hiki a lot. This time, too. He was scared and it was very stressful for him to go to the hospital. After going through such a traumatic experience, getting examined, touched, and looked at by strangers, even if they’re doctors and nurses, is very unpleasant. You helped him a lot and made him laugh. I’m grateful for that and I know Hikkun is too,” Howl soothed him. “Come on, Chibi-chan. Let’s get dinner ready,” he said and stood.  
“Ch-Chibi-chan? Now listen here, old man!” Hajime replied jokingly.  
“Who you calling an old man, you shrimp?”   
“Howl-nii, you’re so mean~”  
“Because you deserve it,” Howl said as he placed Hajime in a headlock and rubbed his head hard, practically dragging Hajime into the kitchen.  
“Ahh Howl-nii!!!”  
Unbeknown to them, Hiki was standing at the top of the stairs, his whole body tense. Hidden from Howl and Hajime’s eyes, he overheard the whole conversation. He gritted his teeth and tried to hold back tears of frustration.   
“Kh…”   
What the people he cared about went through because of his carelessness and stupidity… Hiki clutched at his chest. Then he swallowed, took a deep breath to calm himself, and walked down the stairs. “Hey, you two. What are you up to?” Hiki smiled.   
“Oh Hikkun, did we wake you up? We're preparing dinner,” Howl said in surprise.   
“I see. I'm gonna help you guys. I know, I know -- bed rest. But carrying three plates won't kill me,” he said before Howl could object. He went over to the cabinet, pulled the plates out first before taking the cutlery from the drawer. Then he walked out of the kitchen and placed them on the dining table in the living room.   
Howl and Hajime looked at each other. Hajime shrugged and Howl sighed. “Jeez, he can be so stubborn.”   
“He got that from our mom,” Hajime replied.   
After dinner, they moved to the sofa. Howl sat across the fireplace and Hiki lay next to him, his head resting on Howl’s legs while Howl caressed him tenderly .  
Hajime had made himself comfortable in Howl’s favorite chair. “Ehh~ Howl-nii, this chair is super cozy!”  
“I know. Don’t get too comfortable, though. Tonight’s the only night you’re allowed to sit on it.”  
“So mean,” Hajime pouted.   
They all calmly watched the fire dance and listened to the crackling sounds. Everything was quiet and peaceful.   
After a while, Howl noticed that Hiki’s breathing had become even.“Hajime,” Howl whispered. “Hiki fell asleep. I’m gonna carry him upstairs and put him to bed. I’ll stay with him in case something like last night happens again.”  
“Don’t you have to work? You mentioned something earlier,” Hajime whispered back.   
“I’ll use my tablet. It’s not too bright and the typing won’t disturb him,” Howl said as he picked up Hiki.   
“Howl-nii…”  
“Mh?”  
“I’m glad Hiki has someone like you by his side.”  
“Hmm... You’re still not allowed to sit in my chair after tonight.”   
Hajime stuck out his tongue and Howl chuckled.   
He brought Hiki upstairs carefully, tucked him in, sat down on the bed, and turned on his tablet. There wasn’t much to do, but that big client he met in Akiba wanted to go over some details of the contract. While they were in the middle of a chat, Howl noticed that Hiki had become restless and started moving around in his sleep.   
“Mnhh...” Hiki’s breathing became faster and unsteady. “Mnoo…” Hiki mumbled, a deep frown marring his face.   
Howl’s client was probably becoming impatient because he wasn’t replying as quickly as before, but Howl didn’t care -- he was completely focused on Hiki.   
“Another nightmare…” Howl said to himself.   
Hiki coiled himself up and whimpered: “No… please… don’t... Howl...ngh…”  
Howl instantly put his tablet away without even thinking about his client. He moved closer to Hiki, slipped under the blanket, and spooned his beloved husband.“Hikkun, you’re safe,” Howl whispered in his ear and pressed himself against Hiki. “I’m here. I’ll protect you. Always. I’ll protect you for the rest of my life.”  
Hiki’s body gradually relaxed and his breathing normalized. He was still asleep, but it was as if Howl’s voice got through to him.   
“I will protect you,” Howl repeated and gritted his teeth.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again Camry and Ioana <3


	9. Where is Hiki?

Hiki woke up feeling refreshed and relaxed. He hadn’t slept that good in about a week. He stretched his arms over his head, feeling brand new, and yawned. “Fuwahh.”   
The sight of Howl snuggled up against him made him smile. Howl was still asleep, but his arms were wrapped around Hiki. Hiki felt warm and at peace.   
He got up and decided to make breakfast for everyone. He hadn’t done that in a while, after all. And since Howl was still sleeping, he wouldn’t be able to stop Hiki and tell him to rest. He knew Howl meant well and that he was worried about Hiki’s health, but Hiki wasn’t the kind of person who would just sit around and do nothing while others are working.  
He carefully crawled out of the bed so that he wouldn’t wake up Howl. He stopped and stood next to the bed for a moment, looked down at his husband, and sighed happily. Then he noticed that Howl was still wearing his glasses. “Huh? That’s weird,” Hiki thought as he took off Howl’s glasses and kissed his husband on the forehead.   
He went to the bathroom, got dressed, and walked downstairs to the kitchen. There wasn’t much food left in the fridge and they didn’t have the chance to go shopping on their way here because they were stuck in traffic for so long.   
“I can’t make breakfast for three with this,” Hiki thought. But then he remembered that there was a konbini just around the corner -- 15 minutes away by foot. He decided to go there. It wouldn’t take that long and he would probably be back before Howl and Hajime woke up.   
Hiki grabbed his jacket and left. The streets were empty at this time of the day, but since their home was close to the countryside, there was never much traffic to begin with.   
Hiki walked down the narrow road with single-family houses on either side of the street. He loved this area. It wasn’t as hectic and as loud as Tokyo City. Everything seemed to move at a slower pace and the people were very friendly. You could knock on a random door and the people who lived there would welcome you as if you were a member of their family. This was definitely a good place to call home.  
But the weather was worse than Hiki had expected. It was windy and pretty cold. Hiki was freezing by the time he reached the store.   
“Good morning!” Hiki greeted the shop owner, an old woman who was standing behind the counter and refilling the cigarette stand.   
“Oh, Hikaru-chan! Good morning!” The old lady said with a big smile on her wrinkly face.   
“It’s been a while! How’re you and Howl-san doing?” she asked.  
“Yes, I’m sorry, I’ve been very busy with school. We’re going to stay at the house for a while, so I’ll probably come again soon,” Hiki replied and smiled back. “But today, I’m kinda in a hurry. I want to get back home before Howl and my brother wake up.” Hiki took a shopping basket and began skimming through the aisles.   
It was a pretty small shop but it had a good range of products. Hiki took some wrapped onigiri, different greens, soy bean sprouts, rice, and other things. Then he went back to the counter, but he suddenly stopped. “Oh no, I almost forgot!” he said and headed towards the back where the cold storage section was.“Howl’s bento for work! Mhhh… but which one should I buy...” Hiki took his time to carefully choose the perfect bento for his husband.

Back at the house…

Howl opened his eyes, turned around, and took his phone from the nightstand. “Mmh, seven,” he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.   
He turned to face Hiki, wanting to kiss his husband, but… “Hiki?”   
Hikaru’s side of the bed was empty and cold.   
Where was he? When did he leave? Howl got up and checked the bathroom. No Hiki. A feeling of uneasiness grew in his stomach and he rushed downstairs. “Hiki?! Hikaru, where are you?” He started to panic. Howl checked the kitchen and the bathroom downstairs, but Hiki wasn’t there either. Howl ran back up and knocked frantically at the door to the guest room. “Hajime? Is Hiki with you?” he called out as he opened the door, but there was only Hajime lying in the bed.  
“Howl-nii?” Hajime replied drowsily. “What’s wrong?”  
“Hikaru’s gone,” he answered, beads of sweat running down his face.  
“Shit.” Hajime jumped out of the bed and both rushed downstairs again. “Where could he be?” Hajime asked.   
“I don’t know. Maybe he had a nightmare and ran away in trance again. We have to find him!” They grabbed their jackets and ran out on the street. “Hajime, you go left, I’ll go right. Call me if you find him!” Howl ordered him.  
“Will do!” Hajime nodded and both ran off.

Back at the store...

Hiki finally found the perfect bento with Howl’s favorites: grilled salmon and shrimp tempura.  
“Perfect,” Hiki said, smiling proudly as he walked back to the counter.“Obaa-san, I’d like to have three nikuman too, please.” Howl loved those steamed, meat-filled buns. The old lady made them fresh every day and they were the best nikuman Hiki has had.   
“Oh my, Hikaru-chan, your face! What happened?” the old lady asked.  
“Ah…that is...I fell. It looks worse than it is, hehe,” Hiki replied nervously.   
“I see. Wait a second. I have an ointment that’ll help with the healing. It’s an old family recipe. Let me go upstairs and get it real quick,” she offered.   
Hiki couldn’t say no (that would’ve been rude) so he thanked her and waited. “I guess I have to hurry on my way home then,” he thought.   
The old lady came back after several minutes and handed Hiki a little tin. “Apply twice a day on all your wounds. I’m sure your face isn’t the only thing that was damaged when you… fell. It works even better if it’s being massaged in by the person you love, but that’s just what I believe,” she giggled and winked at Hiki, who blushed a little at what she was insinuating.  
“Th-Thank you very much,” Hiki replied and put the tin in the pocket of his jacket. He grabbed his shopping bags and headed towards the exit. “Have a nice day!” he wished her.  
“You too, Hikaru-chan. I hope to see you soon. And remember, twice a day!” the old lady reminded him and waved. Hiki smiled and nodded as he left the store.   
He was getting excited. Thinking of the surprised looks on Howl and Hajime’s faces when they saw the opulent breakfast he was going to prepare for them made Hiki very happy.   
“Mh. Ow.” Hiki frowned. His side was starting to hurt again. Carrying heavy bags with a contused shoulder wasn’t a good idea.  
“Damn liver, damn ribs, damn shoulder,” he thought. But he decided that the pain wouldn’t kill his good mood. He returned to smiling and thought about Howl’s face while eating his food. That cheered him up again.   
“Hikaru!”   
Hiki suddenly heard someone call him from afar. There was a person down the road running towards him. Who was that?   
“Hikaru!!” they yelled again.   
The person came closer quickly and finally Hiki was able to recognize them. “Howl? What…?”  
“Hikaru!!” Howl called out again, slowing down a little as he struggled to catch his breath.  
“Howl, what happened? What’s wrong?” Hiki asked in confusion.   
Howl hugged him and squeezed him tight.   
“Ow, Howl! What…?”  
“Hikkun! I was worried to death. I woke up and you were gone and I thought you had a nightmare again. Last time, you were half asleep! You could’ve walked onto the street and gotten hit by a car! I thought it happened again! I thought you were in danger, though I swore to protect you!”  
“Howl…”  
Howl was holding Hiki tight. Hiki dropped the bags and returned Howl’s embrace. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Howl. I should’ve left a note. I’m so sorry that I make you worry all the time.”   
“It’s not your fault. I just panicked,” Howl said, took Hiki’s face with both hands, and kissed him chastely.   
Hiki nodded and pressed himself against Howl again. This warmth...   
“Oh no, the bags!” Hiki suddenly remembered and bent to pick them up. “Ouch,” he gasped as he flinched.   
“Hikkun, I told you to be careful. Your body still needs to heal. Let me carry those,” Howl said as he took the bags. “So you went to the konbini… What did you buy?” Howl asked as they walked back home.  
“I wanted to make breakfast, but we didn’t have much at home, so I wanted to go and buy some things. You also need a bento for work, right?”  
“Hiki, you’re the best wife a man could ever wish for…”  
“I’m a man,” Hiki interrupted him.   
Howl chuckled. “But you have to take care of yourself and listen to your body. You’re still in pain, right?”  
“I am,” Hiki replied. “But I can’t just sit around all day and doing nothing. I want to cook our meals at the very least. It’s something I really enjoy doing, so please let me cook. I promise I’ll be careful.”  
“...I’m sorry, Hiki. I didn’t mean to be so patronizing. I was just worried. Of course you can cook our meals. I trust you to tell me when it becomes too much, though. We can always order in,” Howl said and they both laughed.   
“I love you, Hikkun.”   
“I love you too, Howl.”  
“Oh crap!” Howl gasped.  
“What is it?”   
“I have to call Hajime and tell him that I found you! He’s probably still running around looking for you!” Howl immediately called Hajime, who was indeed still searching for Hiki.  
When they returned home, Hiki prepared a big breakfast and made an extra big tamagoyaki for Hajime as atonement.   
Hajime loved Hikaru’s eggrolls. “Okay~ I will forgive you, Onii-chan. But I won’t forgive Howl-nii for not calling me immediately,” Hajime joked.   
“How about you call a friend and I take you back to the condo when I go to work so that you can enjoy the pool and the sauna?” Howl offered. He felt really bad for not calling Hajime immediately since he knew how Hajime felt while looking for Hiki.   
“Uwaahhhh! Howl-nii, are you serious?!” Hajime jumped up and Hiki giggled.   
“I am. Didn’t you mention a love interest when we talked the other day? You can invite them. But no shenanigans! Behave yourself, you hear me!?” Howl said, pretending to be strict.  
“I’m gonna call him right away! I’m so excited -- woohoo!” Hajime rejoiced and ran upstairs.   
“That was very nice of you,” Hiki said, smiling at Howl.   
“......Him?” Howl asked puzzled.  
“Well…” Hiki replied as he got up to clean the breakfast table.“Ow. Ugh.” Hiki’s side was aching again. It had gotten worse. He slumped back on his chair.   
“Hikkun, are you okay?”  
“I guess I overdid it a little.”  
“Did you take your meds this morning?”  
“Oh... No, I forgot.”  
“I’m gonna get them. Wait here a second.”  
“Thank you, Howl.”  
“Oh Hikkun, by the way,” Howl paused. “A special guest will be arriving any minute. While Hajime and his friend are off having a good time, you and our guest can have some alone time as well,” he said with a smile.  
“A special guest?” Hiki asked.   
In that moment, the doorbell rang. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Camry and Ioana <3


	10. A Special Guest

 

 

* * *

 

“Speaking of the devil…” Howl said. “I’ll get your painkillers in a minute, but first...” He walked over to the door and opened it.  
“Good morning, my lovely family!!” A beautiful, tall woman said loudly as she entered the house.  
“SOPHIE!” Hiki yelled, a bright smile on his face. He got up and went to greet her. They hugged each other tightly and lovingly. “Sophie, why’re you here? What about your work? How long are you going to stay?” Hiki asked excitedly. Sophie was Howl’s twin sister who worked at a Judo and Kendo dojo in Osaka. Hiki loved her dearly.  
After Satoshi was shot, Hiki’s mother became cold and distant towards him. He had the feeling that she blamed him for what happened because Satoshi had gotten killed trying to protect Hikaru. She wasn’t exactly a loving person to begin with, but after that incident, she barely spoke to Hiki, and Hiki’s own sister, Harumi, was like a carbon copy of their mother.  
When Hiki met Sophie for the first time, she said, “Brother, where did you find this adorable little puppy? I want to adopt him!” Then, she pinched his cheeks. “Ooh you’re so squishy and soft and sweet,like a little marshmallow!” From that day onwards, that was her nickname for Hiki. He felt loved and was grateful to have her as a sister-in-law.  
Suddenly, Sophie grabbed Hiki by his shoulders and looked him over.  
“Oh my.” Her expression darkened. “Look at you, my little marshmallow. Your face is so damaged...You’ve been through a lot, huh?” She embraced Hikaru again, but this time, it was a different kind of hug. “No cheek-pinching for today, sweetie.”  
For some reason, that made Hiki really sad. “Oh, but Sophie! This cheek is doing fine,” he said and pointed to his right cheek.  
“Oh, you’re right! Well then, here we go!” she said and pinched Hiki.  
They both laughed and, although Hiki felt like he was acting a little childish, he was happy.  
“Hey, Sophie,” Howl greeted his sister.  
“Hey, Howl. Thanks for calling. I came as fast as I could. And to answer your question, marshmallow, my master gave me a few days off. One of my colleagues is taking over my Kendo class until Friday. It’s a short visit, but I wanted to see you.”  
“I’m really happy you came, Sopie. Thank you!” Hiki said.  
“Hikkun, here.” Howl had brought Hiki’s painkillers.  
“Aww, I don’t want to take them now. They always make me sleepy and I want to spend time with Sophie.” Hiki didn’t want to sound like a brat, but he really wanted to talk to Sophie.  
“I know, but you got up early this morning, walked all the way to the konbini, and you made breakfast. You’re in pain, right? You could use a good nap, Hikkun…” Howl said. He didn’t mean to sound patronizing; he was just worried.  
“Marshmallow, you know what? I could use a nap too. The train ride here was exhausting. How about you take your meds and go upstairs and I’ll follow you in a minute,” Sophie suggested.  
“Alright,” Hiki agreed easily and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water to take his pills.  
Hajime entered the room just then. “My hopefully soon-to-be boyfriend is gonna be here any minute. He lives close by. Oh hey, Sophie-nee! Great to see you!” He greeted Sophie.  
“Your friend, huh?” Howl said. “How close exactly are you two? Use protection if you do perverted things okay? No babies! You’re too young!” Howl said jokingly. Hajime laughed at that while Sophie slapped Howl on the back of his head. “Ow!”  
The doorbell rang and Hajime let his friend in. “Guys, this is Tenshi. Tenshi, this is my brother-in-law, Howl, and his sister, Sophie.” Hajime introduced his love interest with a slightly red face.  
“Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Tenshi,” the shy-looking boy said.  
“Hello, Tenshi-kun. Nice to meet you,” Sophie smiled.  
“Listen, Tenshi-kun, if Hajime tries anyth- Ow!” Sophie slapped Howl again before he could finish his sentence and glared at him. Howl giggled. “We should leave,” he suggested.  
In that moment Hiki, came back from the kitchen.  
“Oh, Onii-chan! This is Tenshi.” Hajime seemed so proud.  
“How cute,” Hiki thought. “Hello, Tenshi-kun, I’m Hikaru. I’m Hajime’s older brother. Nice to meet you,” he said and smiled.  
“Th-Thank you,” Tenshi said and looked down, as if he tried to avoid to look at Hiki.  
At that action, Hiki remembered his bruised face and realized that it must’ve looked pretty scary to others. “Ah, um.. I’m gonna go upstairs,” he said and rushed towards the staircase. But then stopped and turned around. “Howl, be safe and don’t work too hard. Don’t forget your bento. See you tonight.”  
Howl smiled and replied, “Thank you, Hiki. Have a nice day and be careful.”  
Hiki smiled back and started walking upstairs when Howl suddenly stopped him.  
“Ah Hikkun!”  
“Yes?”  
“Where’s my goodbye kiss?” Howl teased him.  
Hiki’s face turned pink. “H-Howl! Not in front of everyone!” he stuttered and rushed upstairs.  
“Wow, cute,” Tenshi whispered. Then he gasped and covered his mouth with his hand. “I-I’m sorry.”  
“It’s okay, haha!” Hajime laughed. He was used to this reaction. Hiki had often been mistaken for a girl when they were little and everyone called him cute.  
“Ehem.” Howl coughed. “Can we leave now?” He glared at Tenshi, who now looked scared of him.  
“Howl-nii, stop teasing Tenshi!” Hajime scolded him.  
Howl laughed and apologized. Then they grabbed their coats and bags and left.  
Sophie sighed and shook her head with a smile on her lips. “This family…” She headed upstairs to the master bedroom. It had only been a couple of minutes since Hiki went to bed, but he had already fallen asleep. Sophie lay down next to him and stared at his face for a while.  
“Poor kid,” she thought. “He looks stressed. Even though he’s sound asleep, he’s frowning. You must have a lot on your mind, my little marshmallow.”  
Sophie thought about the day when she had received Howl’s call.  
“Hey Sophie, it’s me. I’m sorry for being so direct, but I need your help. Something happened to Hiki while I was away on a business trip. Long story short, my assistant, who was supposed to look after Hiki, assaulted and tried to rape him. I was able to come home early and arrived just in time, but he had already gone through a lot by then. We both know Hiki is very strong, but I’m not sure if that’s enough this time. You know how it was for me back then, and you know how much I struggled afterwards. It was only after I found Hiki that I was finally able to find peace. I know it’s a lot to ask for, but you’re important to Hiki and he looks up to you. I think talking to you would help him. So if it’s somehow possible, please come over and stay for a few days.”  
Sophie’s twin brother usually never asked anyone for a favor, so it must’ve been really bad. But he wouldn’t have had to ask her in the first place. Of course she wanted to be there for Hiki. When Howl started going out with him, his whole demeanor changed for the better. Howl had been through a lot in his life and, although he had pulled himself out of his misery, it wasn’t easy for him to get over his past.  
After their father died, their mother had forced them to move from Japan to London with her. When they were nine years old, their mother married a Russian business man. This man sexually abused Howl when he was 13 and threatened him into keeping quiet by saying that he was going to hurt Sophie if Howl told anyone about it.  
When their stepfather left on a business trip, Howl told his mother everything, but instead of being there for her son, she accused him of seducing her husband.  
When their stepfather returned from his trip, their mother picked him up from the airport on a rainy night. On their way home, their mother confronted her husband and she even called Howl and wanted him to repeat his story on speaker phone. Howl could hear them fighting and, suddenly, there was screaming and a loud noise and then everything went silent.  
Howl called the police and they later told him that both his mother and stepfather had died.  
Shortly after their death, Howl and Sophie’s step-sisters, Anna and Diana, were adopted by their family members from their father’s side while Howl and Sophie were taken in by their aunt until they turned 18. After they came of age, they moved back to Japan.  
Howl had always blamed himself for that accident. That, and the memories of what his stepfather had done lingered inside him. He was never really happy...Until he met Hiki.  
It was the best thing that could’ve happened to him. Sophie was sure that they were meant for each other. Seeing Hiki like that must’ve been really painful for Howl.  
All those things were going through Sophie’s head while she was caressing Hiki’s hand. After a while, she finally fell asleep too.  
When she woke up, Hiki was gone from the bed. She yawned and looked at her watch. “Oh wow, two pm already. Damn, I really needed that nap, huh?” Sophie thought. She got up and went downstairs. Hiki was sitting on the sofa with his laptop on his lap.  
“Hey, marshmallow, here you are.”  
Hiki jolted. “Oh, Sophie. You surprised me, haha. Yeah, I woke up and didn’t want to wake you, so I thought I could study a little.”  
“Mmmhhh, I see. Hey, wanna go grocery shopping?”  
“Huh? But…”  
“There isn’t much left in the kitchen, right? We’re four people, so we should fill up the fridge, don’t you think?”  
“You’re right,” Hiki agreed.  
“How’re you feeling?”  
“I’m fine. Let’s go,” Hiki replied, happy about not being treated like he was fragile and weak for once.  
They grabbed their coats and drove towards the big food market around 30 minutes from home. Sophie didn’t mother him, but she still made sure that he didn’t carry heavy things and that they took breaks from time to time. They tried all kinds of foods at the different food stalls. At one stall, they served grilled crickets. Sophie made Hiki eat three with the promise that she would do the same, but she refused after Hiki was done.  
“No way on earth I’ll eat those! You should’ve seen your face while eating them though.” And she laughed loudly.  
Hiki was having a blast, so there was no way he could be angry at her for tricking him. When the sun went down, they hit the road.  
Hiki was exhausted, but he felt like a kid on his way home from a day at the amusement park.  
Only one thing had made him feel a little uneasy.  
While they were eating fresh takoyaki, Hiki thought he had seen a familiar face in the crowd. For a brief moment, he could’ve sworn he saw Fujimura right there. His heart stopped, but the person who looked like Fujimura was gone in the blink of an eye, so it must’ve been an illusion. His brain must’ve tricked him. How would Fujimura even know where he was? Sophie picked that market spontaneously. And Hiki’s brother, Hiroki, and his underlings probably already took care of Fujimura, so he wouldn’t be able to move around much.  
Hiki shuddered at that thought.  
“Hey, marshmallow, are you cold?” Sophie asked and turned on the heater in her rental car.  
“No, I’m fine. Thank you so much for today, Sophie. It was so much fun.” Hiki smiled brightly. Then, he said, “Um Sophie...Can I ask you something?”  
“Sure, sweetie,” she replied.  
“Umm, well...I’m sorry for asking this out of nowhere, but I didn’t get a chance to ask earlier and when we’re back at the house, it’ll be full of people, so…”  
Sophie pulled over the car. It was dark outside, so she turned on the dome light.  
“Why’re we stopping? Howl and Hajime must be home already, so we shouldn’t keep them waiting,” Hiki said.  
“They can wait. You look like something’s really bothering you, so I want to give you my full attention. Go ahead.”  
Sophie was the best. Hiki wanted to hug her. He had a hard time putting his thoughts into words without sounding like a complete idiot, but he tried his best. “S-Sophie, you know what happened to me, right?”  
“Yes, I know.”  
“It’s been six days since that happened. Howl left three days before and... ever since the day he left...well, actually, some time before that...it must’ve been almost two weeks now… he was so busy and...we haven’t...umm...we didn’t…” Hiki stuttered. “I kinda miss him. I mean, he’s holding me in his arms a lot...so it’s not like he’s completely rejecting me… but he still avoids me. I don’t even know if I’m making sense. Everytime we kiss and start getting closer, he ends it abruptly and runs away.” Hiki was fidgeting while looking down on his sweaty hands.  
“You miss the sex with him, huh? You’re probably a little pent up, too.”  
“Ah, S-Sophie!” Hiki blushed.  
“But, knowing my brother, he wouldn’t touch you in that way after what you’ve been through. He thinks you’re not stable enough yet. Either mentally or physically. Has Howl ever told you what happened to him when he was a teenager?”  
“You mean about what your stepdad did? He mentioned it, but he never told me the whole story. Sophie, I'm okay. I’m not a weakling.”  
“Hiki, this has nothing to do with being weak. Being assaulted in your own home by someone you trusted is something that would shake anyone to the core. And that’s completely normal. It’s okay to be scared and it’s okay to be hurt and to feel weak. It’s okay to rely on others too.”  
“But I don’t want to cause everyone around me so much trouble. Just because I ordered the wrong drink and got wasted, that person did those things and now everyone is worried and sad. It’s all my fault! And I wasn’t even able to protect myself. I should’ve tried harder!!” Hiki yelled while tears were dripping down his face. He didn’t want to cry, but he couldn’t help it.  
Sophie had smacked Hiki on the back of his head, like she always did with Howl when he said something stupid and said, “Listen closely, Hiki -- you being drunk gives no one the right to beat you up and rape you! What happened was not your fault! That asshole took advantage of your situation because he’s a sick bastard! And of course we’re worried about you. We’re your family. We love you and we care about you! Try putting yourself in our shoes. You would worry too, right? And now, try to imagine the person you love and worry about and asking them to stop doing so. Isn’t that impossible?” Sophie asked with a firm voice and a serious expression. Hiki had never seen her like that before. “Please think about what I just said, okay? And regarding the intimacy thing with Howl, I-” Sophie’s phone began ringing, interrupting her.  
“Hey, Howl, what’s up?” she greeted her brother.  
“Sophie, where are you?”  
“We’re on our way home. We went to a food mar-”  
“Please hurry. No stops, no detours. Come back immediately,” Howl said.  
Sophie noticed an uneasiness in his voice. “Brother, is something wrong?”  
“Just come back now.”  
“Okay, we’re on our way,” she replied and hung up. “Sorry marshmallow, but we gotta go back. We’re gonna finish this talk another time.” Sophie started the car and they rushed back home.

 

* * *

 

**Tenshi and Hajime**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Camry and Ioana!!! <3


	11. Don't panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Senbongiri: 1000 cuts with a sword on a rolled straw mat dummy.  
> The real record holder, Isao Machii, finished 1000 cuts in 36 minutes and 4 seconds.

* * *

 

Hiki noticed that Sophie had become tense. “Sophie...Um... What did Howl say? You’re acting a little strange…” Hiki asked carefully.  
“He didn’t say much. It was how he said it. He sounded worried. Something’s wrong,” she replied, her eyebrows narrowed as she drove them home without looking away from the road.  
Hiki started to get nervous.  
When they finally arrived home, Howl was standing in front of the house waiting for them, his arms crossed over his chest, a tight look on his face. What was going on?  
“Howl!” Hiki called out to him after getting out of the car. “What’s wrong? You’re acting all scary.”  
“I’m sorry, Hikkun,” he said as he kissed Hiki’s forehead. “Did you have fun with Sophie?” he asked as they walked from the parking lot to the door.  
“I did,” Hiki said with a smile.  
“I wanna hear everything about it later, okay? But right now, we have an important matter to discuss.”  
“Hey, Onii-chan!” Hajime greeted him when they walked inside.  
Hiki smiled at him, but he had a strange feeling that something was off.  
“Hello, Hikaru,” a deep voice coming from the dining area greeted him. A big, muscular man in a black suit with scars all over his face got up from the chair he had been sitting on and walked over to Hikaru.  
“Aniki?” Hiki exclaimed in disbelief. “What are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to come by tomorrow? Did I get the dates mixed up? If I’d known, I would’ve stayed home. I’m so-”  
Hiroki interrupted his little brother with a chuckle and placed his big hand on Hiki’s head. “You haven’t changed a bit during the time we haven’t seen each other. Still always worrying too much about others,” he said and ruffled Hiki’s hair.  
Hiki was so confused. He couldn’t remember the last time he heard his big brother laugh. And Hiroki hadn’t ruffled his hair since the day Satoshi died. He used to do that all the time before that. Hiki hadn’t noticed how much he had missed that until this moment. He swallowed heavily.  
“Hikaru, let’s sit on the sofa. We have to talk. Everyone, please join us. This is a family matter,” he said heavily and everyone followed his words.  
There were two big sofas, one of which with three seats and the other with two seats. Howl offered Hiroki his chair while he and Sophie sat on the big sofa with Hiki between them and Hajime sat on the smaller one.  
Hiki was nervous. He wished someone would explain what was going on.  
“Hikkun,” Howl said with a somber voice, “Hiroki came earlier than planned because today was the day he and his kyodai went to Fujimura’s place.”  
Hiki’s heart skipped a beat. So this was about him.  
Hiroki continued from where Howl left off. “Because of certain circumstances, it wasn’t possible for us to visit him earlier. When we arrived, Fujimura had already left. His apartment was empty, so he won’t be returning anytime soon. The landlord also confirmed that he had moved out, but didn’t know to where. My men are looking for him, but there’s no trace of him so far.  
“Hikaru, since we don’t know where he is, it’s possible that you and Howl are in danger. We don’t know what he’s capable of, or if he wants revenge. Wounded animals are unpredictable. For your safety, you’re not allowed to go anywhere without a guard. I’ll leave my best man, Ishikawa, with you. He will guard you night and day until we find Fujimura.”  
Hiki was confused. Fujimura vanished? He might be after them? Howl was in danger?  
Suddenly, the image of that person from the food market who looked like Fujimura popped up in Hiki's head.  
“That wasn't him. No way. Impossible,” Hiki thought. He felt dizzy.  
“Hikkun, it's okay. He's probably long gone,” Howl tried to calm him. “It's just a precaution. I talked everything over with Hiroki earlier. We’ll be fine.”  
“He didn’t exactly leave with his tail between his legs, right?” Hiroki cautioned. “We need to take this situation seriously.”  
Howl gave Hiroki a “can’t you see that I’m trying to comfort him” look.  
“But with my men by your side, you will be safe,” Hiroki assured quickly.  
Hiki's mind went blank. He felt dizzy and nauseated. His hands felt cold and sweaty;it was getting harder to breathe. All he could feel was this fear…the exact same fear he felt that night. He needed to get out of there.  
He got up from the sofa, trying not to stagger. His family had enough to worry about already. “Okay, umm…Thank you for your help, Aniki. I really appreciate it. I'm sure he won't show up, though. Please excuse me for a minute. I have to use the bathroom. We drank a lot of oolong tea on the market, hehe,” Hiki said as calmly as he could, trying to hide his current state as he made his way towards the stairs.  
“Hikkun, are you alright?” Howl asked, concern etched on his face. “You look pale.”  
“Ah, yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit tired.”  
“Well, it was a long day for you.”  
”Mh,” Hiki replied absent-mindedly and went upstairs. He felt like he was shaking all over. He entered the bathroom on the first floor and shut the door. He started to breathe heavily and opened the window wide. The cool air felt good, but he felt like he wasn't able to fill his lungs with enough air to survive. He turned on the cold water in the sink and repeatedly splashed some of it in his face. His breathing was still too heavy and too fast.  
His body wouldn't calm down. His heart was racing and the breathlessness made him panic even more. He was completely covered in cold sweat. Hiki slumped down and leaned against the wall. He felt like he was about to throw up.  
“Should I breathe into a bag? But I don't have a bag. Where do I get a bag from, dammit?” Hiki felt stupid for thinking that. His mind was clear but his body was shutting down. “  
I need to calm down, but I can't. Please make this stop!” Hiki thought desperately, trying hard to breathe properly. It was no use. He felt like he was about to die. “I need to calm down!”  
“Hikkun? Are you alright? Can I come in?”  
Howl had followed Hiki upstairs.  
“No, please, don't come in! I don't want you to see me like this!” Hikaru thought, but at the same time, he wanted nothing more than for Howl to be by his side.  
“Hikaru? Please answer me.”  
Hiki wanted to, but he was still hyperventilating, so it was impossible. Hiki started crying, which made it even harder for him to breathe. He felt like he was going to faint any minute. “Howl…”  
“I'm coming in now,” Howl announced and opened the door.

“Hikkun!!” Howl saw Hiki on the floor, pure terror swimming in his husband’s eyes. He rushed over to Hiki and knelt before him. He immediately realized what was happening. “You're having a panic attack, love. You need to calm down.” “Ho-Howl...I-I c-an-t,” Hiki gasped, tears running down his face. “H-H-Help m-e!”  
Howl took Hiki's face in his hands. “Hikkun, look at me. Focus only on me now. Breathe for me,” Howl coaxed gently, taking deep and even breaths for Hiki to follow. “Do it like I do. In and out, slowly.”  
“I-I ca-n-t. Haa, haa…” Hiki’s eyes were unsteady, as if he was drifting away.  
“Hikaru, look at me and breathe!!” Howl said, loud enough to catch Hiki’s full attention.  
Hiki tried to pull himself together and joined in. He was completely focused on Howl’s breathing. In and out, in and out, in and out. It was hard for Hiki not to fall back into his erratic breathing, but Howl’s big, warm hands on his face felt comforting, and looking at his husband's face calmed Hiki down a little. He stopped crying after a few more breaths.  
“That's right. Very good. Hikkun, remember that one time when we went to Kugenuma Beach? It was a beautiful sunny day in Spring, not a single cloud in the sky, and everything was covered in cherry blossoms. Because it was a weekday, there weren't that many people around. I had taken the day off because I wanted to surprise you. And man, you were so excited, like a little kid.” Howl smiled fondly and continued, “We had cotton candy from one of the stalls and had a picnic later. Although it was only konbini bento, it was quite tasty, wasn’t it? You had the day off too. No college or work. I picked you up from home, grabbed a blanket, and we were off. You had no idea where I was taking you until we arrived. We had a wonderful time watching the sea, listening to the waves crashing at the shore. We talked a lot and, at times, we just sat there in silence. It was like we were the only people on earth. After watching the sunset, we went to your favorite restaurant and had a romantic dinner.”  
“And a seagull pooped on you,” Hiki added.  
“I was trying not to think of that, humph.”  
Hiki giggled.  
“I love you to the moon and back, my sweet Hiki,” Howl whispered before he kissed his husband tenderly.  
“I love you too, Howl. So, so much,” Hiki said and kissed Howl back.  
Howl embraced Hiki, who clung onto him. “You’ve finally calmed down. I'm glad.”  
“Mh. I'm sorry. I just panicked. I couldn't help it.”  
“With all that’s happening, no wonder. But I promised that I’ll protect you, didn’t I? Come on. Let’s get you to bed. You must be exhausted. Change into your pajamas and I'll get you a hot tea,” Howl offered.  
“Okay. Thank you, Howl.”  
“Shush now and change. I'll be back in a minute,” Howl said while helping Hiki up. “Are you sure you’re okay now? Is it okay if I leave you?”  
“I’m okay,” Hiki assured him.  
Howl left the bathroom and went downstairs to the kitchen where Sophie was preparing sandwiches and tea for everyone.  
“Oh, Howl, how is Hiki? He didn’t look good.”  
“He’s okay now. He had a panic attack. The news was a little too much, I guess,” Howl answered while preparing a cup of calming melissa tea for Hiki.  
“I probably shouldn’t have dragged him over that huge market too.”  
“No, he had a lot of fun. I could see it in his eyes when you arrived. He seemed relaxed and happy. Thank you, Sophie.”  
“Ew, don’t get all cheesy on me, brother,” Sophie said as she bumped her fist against Howl’s arm. “He’s my little marshmallow. I just want to do anything I can to help him get over this trauma.”  
“He will eventually, I’m sure. As soon as this is over I-” suddenly Howl was interrupted by loud, angry voices, so they went to the living room to see what was going on.  
“You can’t tell me what to do! You’re not our old man!” Hajime shouted from the living room.  
“Hajime, I’m your older brother and second-in-command. You do what I say...or I’ll call mother,” Hiroki replied shortly.  
“No, you wouldn’t! You’d dig your own grave! She’d kill you for calling her because of that.”  
“You’re going back home. It’s settled. No objections. The situation is too dangerous. Everyone who’s not directly involved should leave, and that goes for Howl’s sister too. Women and children should be kept away from danger!”  
“Oh, really?” Sophie said, her arms crossed in front of her chest. “Now listen here, Mister ‘Second-in-Command-I’m-gonna-call-my-mom’ yakuza big boss.” she said as she walked up to Hiroki and stood right in front of him. Although Hiroki was around 15 centimeters taller than Sophie, she was completely unimpressed and tapped his chest with her index finger as she spoke. “I’m the disciple of Ohta Hayato, Master and World record holder of Senbongiri. I have achieved the 6th dan in Judo, 6th dan in Kyudo, and 7th dan in Kendo. Please tell me again how I’m in danger. You think just because I’m a woman, I’m not able to protect myself or others? You’re really a chauvinistic douche!”  
Howl giggled, but Hajime and Hiroki were staring at Sophie with their eyes wide open.  
“Woah, Sophie-nee you’re amazing!” Hajime cheered.  
“Heh,” Hiroki smiled. “Quite an impressive résumé, missy.”  
“Missy?!” Sophie glared at him.  
“Okay, enough of this. I’m gonna go upstairs now and look after Hiki. When I come back, we can make a plan on what to do next. Please don’t kill each other in the meantime. And Hajime, I’m on your brother’s side here. You should go back home. I don’t want you to be in danger and I’m sure Hikaru thinks the same.”  
“Dammit, Howl-nii. Stabbing me in the back here. Tsk.” Hajime pouted. “Okay, I’ll leave. Please tell Onii-chan I’m gonna text him tomorrow. I’ll pick up my stuff on Sunday.”  
“Ishikawa will drive you home. He’s sitting in the car in front of the house. It’s fine if he leaves since me and this Amazon warrior are still here,” Hiroki said and grinned at Sophie, who stuck her tongue out at him.  
Hajime only glared at Hiroki, said goodbye to Howl and Sophie, and left.  
“Alright. I’m off too. Please behave and be quiet. Hiki needs to rest.”  
“Don’t worry, brother, I’ll take care of this momma-boy’s big mouth,” Sophie said teasingly.  
“You can try,” Hiroki answered.  
Howl rolled his eyes, sighed and went upstairs.When he entered the bedroom, Hiki was standing by the open window. He had spaced out and didn’t even notice Howl come in.  
Howl put the mug down on Hiki’s nightstand and walked over to him. Howl hugged him from behind and Hiki jolted. “I’m sorry. Did I scare you? You’re gonna catch a cold.”  
“Oh...You’re right. It’s pretty cold. I didn’t notice.”  
“Are you still having trouble with your breathing?” Howl asked.  
“No, I’m okay. I’m sorry for acting like that earlier,” Hiki said as he put his hands on top of Howl’s arms.  
“No need to be sorry. It’s only been a week since that incident, and now you’re getting this news on top of that... “  
“He won’t come here, Howl. I mean, I saw his face when he left. The rage and the hate in his eyes...But I don’t think he would go this far. When he attacked me, he repeatedly said that I won’t remember what happened because I was drunk. If he’d known that I would remember everything, I don’t think he would’ve attacked me and risked everything.”  
“Hikkun, you’re making him sound like a reasonable person, but no one in their right mind would even think about doing something like that.”  
Hiki remained silent. He knew Howl was right, but the thought of Fujimura showing up again was unbearable for him.  
“Come on, Hikkun. Let’s go to bed. You must be exhausted,” Howl suggested.  
“Yeah, I’m really tired,” Hiki admitted as he crawled under the blanket. “Howl...Can you...hold me until I fall asleep, please?” he asked softly from underneath the blanket, covering his face. He was probably blushing really hard.  
“So damn cute,” Howl thought. He smiled and lay down next to Hiki. “Come here,” he said, opening his arms.  
Hiki uncovered only his eyes, smiled happily at Howl, and moved over to him. He wrapped his arms around his husband while still holding his blanket, and covered them both with it. He snuggled up against Howl’s chest. Howl’s head was leaning on his right hand, his left was holding Hiki tightly.  
“Howl…?” Hiki mumbled. “Tell me about your day.”  
“Hmm, let’s see...Today, Tanaka-san brought his three-year-old son to the office. Apparently, his babysitter is sick. His son was really cute. You would’ve loved him. I know you like kids...,“ Howl said, but Hiki had already fallen asleep.  
Howl smiled. “Good night, my love,” he whispered.  
“I’m gonna go back downstairs,” Howl thought. “Just a little longer…”  
But Hiki’s warmth and his deep, even breathing were so relaxing that Howl followed his husband to the land of dreams soon after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Camry and Ioanaaa <3


	12. Calm before the storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm deeply sorry that you guys had to wait for half a year for this.  
> I promise, the last chapter will be out faster and afterwards I'm going to write a prequel about their wedding :)
> 
> Thank you to Ioana and Camry for quality checking and proofreading xoxoxoxoxoxo

While Howl and Hiki were upstairs, Sophie and Hiroki continued to sit on the sofa in silence.  
Hiroki felt a little nervous. He couldn’t take his eyes off the woman. He had to admit that he was impressed by her achievements and her attitude. No one ever had the nerve to talk to him like that before.  
Being raised as the heir of the family was tough, but, most of the time, extremely boring. Everyone around him always wanted to please him. He never had real friends. His schoolmates were scared of him and his family, so all he ever did was train and study. He also always had this stoic and dark expression on his face, but that was just how his face looked like. Nothing he could do about that.  
He didn’t choose to inherit the family business, but after his older sister, Harumi, refused to take over because she wanted to live a more peaceful life as a mother and as a housewife, he didn’t have any choice. No way could Hiki or Hajime take her place, and he wouldn’t want them to.  
But Hiroki never felt like the leader type, and he always had been kind of a loner. There had been a few girls he liked, but because of the scars on the right side of his face he got during a fight when he was 14, everyone called him ugly, made fun of him behind his back (as if he wouldn't have noticed), and girls didn’t want to be seen with him.  
But the woman sitting on the sofa next to him was different from every woman he had met before.  
“Hey, pretty boy,” Sophie suddenly addressed him. “I made sandwiches earlier. It’ll be a waste if no one eats them. How about we go to the kitchen?”  
Pretty boy? Hiroki thought. “Um, sure. W-Why not,” he stuttered.  
Sophie got up and headed towards the kitchen. “What’re you waiting for?”  
“Ah, yeah. Coming.”  
“Sit down at the table, pretty boy,” she said as she walked over to the counter, picked up the plate full of sandwiches and vegetables, and brought it over to him.  
Why was she calling him ‘pretty boy’? Was she making fun of him?  
“Thanks.” Hiroki’s face felt hot.  
“Hey, pretty boy, want some tea too?”  
“Listen, you can stop with the ‘pretty boy’ thing already. I get it. Very funny, haha,” Hiroki snapped.  
Sophie went silent and prepared their tea, then she sat down next to Hiroki.  
“I’m sorry,” she suddenly said. “I didn't mean to offend you. I have a habit of giving nicknames to people I like and I think you’re pretty, that’s all. I wasn’t making fun of you,” she said while playing with the teabag in her mug.  
Hiroki felt like an idiot. “It’s okay. Sorry for snapping. It’s just that people always called me ugly or gotten scared because of the scars. No one has ever called me pretty.” Hiroki scoffed. I sound like an idiot, he thought.  
“Well, I just did. And every scar tells a story about the person, so I think scars are really interesting. You also have beautiful eyes and a very distinctive jawline. It’s sexy. Anyway, you’re yakuza, huh?” Sophie asked bluntly, making Hiroki choke on his tea.  
“You’re pretty straightforward, aren’t you?” he asked, still coughing.  
“Beating around the bush is only a waste of time. And as if I didn’t already know. You’re pretty obvious. The neat haircut, the slicked back hair, the black suit...and you seem pretty ripped. What sports do you do?”  
“Um...I-I box and practice judo, taekwondo, jiu-jitsu, and karate.”  
“Woah! That’s a lot! Isn’t it too much for one person?”  
“I’ve been training since I was four years old, so I’m used to it. My parents wanted to make sure that I can defend myself and that the future Oyabun is able to fight for his family. I train for three hours minimum every day.”  
“I’m impressed. You’re stronger than I thought,” Sophie teased him.  
“What’s that supposed to mean? I’m yakuza after all. Tch.” Hiroki couldn't help but smirk a little.  
“Let’s arm wrestle!” Sophie proposed.  
“Pfff, you’re truly one of a kind,” Hiroki laughed. “I would prefer to eat your sandwiches, though. It’d be a waste, right?” Hiroki said and winked at Sophie.  
She blushed slightly. “Okay, I’ll drop the arm wrestling for now, but I will challenge you again and I’m gonna beat you,” she said and bit into a tuna sandwich.  
They talked the whole night about anything and everything. It was the most fun Hiroki had had in…  
Did he ever have this much fun before?  
Sophie yawned in the middle of a story. Since it was already around four in the morning, Hiroki decided to stay over. Hajime had left, so one of the two guest rooms was free. Hiroki brought Sophie to her room.  
“Good night, pretty boy,” she whispered, leaning against her door.  
Now or never, Hiroki thought. “Sorry for doing this all of a sudden...”  
“Hm?”  
Hiroki moved closer to Sophie, pushed her chin up, and placed a soft kiss on her lips.  
“Oh,” Sophie whispered when they parted. “No need to be sorry, it was a good kiss, pretty boy.” She opened the door, walked into her room, smiled teasingly, and shut it.  
“Phew...” Hiroki smiled and walked over to the other guest room.  
What a night...

A few hours later, Hiki woke up. He was still lying in Howl’s arms and took a deep breath.  
Howl’s smell…  
He felt warm and safe. Hiki snuggled his face against Howl’s chest and took another deep breath. He missed the closeness.  
Cuddling was great, but not enough.  
Hiki felt guilty for thinking like that, but he wanted to feel Howl’s bare skin against his. He missed being physically connected with Howl. Their naked bodies embracing each other passionately, both of them sweaty and moving together in the same rhythm…  
Hiki swallowed. Stop thinking about stuff like this first thing in the morning! he scolded himself.  
He carefully moved away from Howl and got up. It was 6 a.m. -- time to prepare breakfast. Howl would wake up soon; he had to go to work, after all. Hiki kissed his beloved husband on the cheek and walked to the bathroom to get himself ready. After taking a shower, he put on sweatpants, a shirt, and headed to the kitchen.  
He opened the fridge, but…it was empty. Oh, we forgot to bring the shopping bags inside yesterday! They’re still in the car... Hiki giggled at the thought that the trunk of Sophie’s rental car would probably have a strong fish smell by now from all the fresh fish and seafood they had bought yesterday. Fortunately, it was pretty cold at night, so they shouldn’t have gone bad.  
There were around eight big bags filled to the brim. Howl would scold him for carrying so much, but there was no other option. If he waited for the others to wake up and help, there wouldn’t be enough time left to prepare everything. And finding everything he needed from all the stuffed bags would take forever.  
Sorry, Howl, Hiki thought as he put on his coat and shoes. He took the car keys from the cupboard next to the door and walked out.  
“Uwaah...” It was freezing and his hair still hadn’t dried completely. Gotta hurry. Hiki rushed over to the car that was parked out front. He opened the trunk and, as expected, it reeked of fish. “Oh my, Sophie. The rental service won't be happy,” he giggled.  
Hiki reached for the bags when he suddenly heard something behind him. He froze. Who was that? Who could that be at this hour? Their next neighbors lived 5 minutes away, and this house was at the end of a 6 kilometer road.  
Could it be…Fujimura?  
Hiki’s heart skipped a beat. He gathered all his courage and turned around and when he did, what he saw was…  
A dog.  
A white shiba inu was standing there, staring at Hiki.  
“Hahhh!” He felt so relieved. “Hey buddy, you scared the hell out of me, you know that?” Hiki chuckled.  
The dog sat down and whined.  
“What is it? ...Oh! You can probably smell the fish and the meat, huh? Are you hungry?”  
The dog started wagging its tail.  
“You’re so cute! I’ve always wanted a dog. Wait a second...” Hiki rummaged around in the bags. “Oh…We mostly bought fish, so you probably won’t like that… Hmmm...let’s see... We also have this...hmm... Howl’s gonna kill me if I give you this, but...you look so hungry and you’re so cute. I’m just gonna give you one and if it’s not enough in the end, I’ll eat the fish,” Hiki said as he grabbed a big slice of the fresh, high-quality Kobe beef, knelt down, and gave it to the dog, who promptly began devouring it. “Good boy. Hey, don’t gobble it down like that. You’re gonna choke,” Hiki laughed.  
When the dog had finished his very expensive meal, he walked up to Hiki and licked his face.  
“Hahaha, you’re welcome, buddy.” Hiki patted his new friend and then the dog walked away, looking very satisfied. Hiki looked after him, wishing he had enough time to keep a dog himself, but with college and his part time job, it was impossible. He got up and went to grab the bags. He needed to get breakfast ready.  
“Hey,” someone called out to him.  
Hiki jolted and turned around. “Howl! You’re awake already?”  
“Yeah. Hikkun, what’re you doing out here in the cold? You’re not even dressed properly. At least close your jacket. And your hair’s still wet. Put on a hat, would you! You’re way too carefree.” Howl scolded him as he walked up to Hiki, closed the zipper of his jacket, and looked into the trunk. “Did you want to carry all that on your own?”  
“Well, we forgot to bring them inside last night and I want to prepare breakfast…”  
“Hikkun…” he sighed. “You’re injured. You can’t do something like that. Just ask for help.”  
“But I didn’t want to wake you up this early since you have work today. And I know that I’m injured. It’s not like I could forget about it so easily since my stupid body is aching all the time, but I can still handle some shopping bags,” Hiki muttered.  
“I’m not saying that you can’t handle the load, Hikkun. I’m just worried. You can prepare all the meals you want -- we talked about that. But carrying heavy bags was not part of the deal. I want to help and support you. I’m your husband and I love and treasure you and your ‘stupid body’. I need both of you, so treat your body with more care. You know, you should listen to me from time to time.”  
“Alright, alright~... So, would you please help me carry the bags inside, my beloved husband-sama,” Hiki said teasingly and bowed a little.  
“You’re making fun of me.” Howl pouted.  
“I’m absolutely not. You’re my slave now. Carry the bags inside -- chop, chop!”  
“Ooh, you're into BDSM, Hikkun? I had no idea.” Howl smirked.  
“Ugh, just move, you baka husband!” Hiki was happy. Joking around with Howl like this… Like before…  
They took the bags, with Howl giving Hiki two light ones, and brought them inside. He helped Hiki put the groceries away and Hiki immediately started with the preparations for breakfast.  
“Uhm Hikkun? Shouldn’t you have bought more steaks? Will that even be enough?” Howl suddenly asked.  
“Ah..umm…well, there was this stray dog and he looked so hungry, you should’ve seen his face, he probably hasn’t eaten in days, and he was so cute and pretty, a white shiba inu, and--” Hiki began to explain frantically.  
“A white shiba inu? Sounds like Nobunaga-san’s dog. You remember him? The old man who lives down the street.”  
“Huh? Really? But I’ve never seen that dog before…”  
“He only got him recently. We haven’t been here in a while, but I met Nobunaga-san yesterday. He told me that we don’t have to be scared if his dog shows up. He’s letting him walk around freely.”  
“Oh, I see. Well, at least I don’t have to worry about him being hungry anymore.”  
“Not after you gave him that big Kobe steak, you won’t,” Howl chuckled.  
“Sorry. Now that I think of it, he looked pretty well fed and he wasn’t dirty or anything. Oh man, I’m such an idiot. Hehe.”  
Howl walked over to Hiki and kissed him on the lips. “You’re so kind, Hikkun. I love that about you.” Howl kissed him again, this time slowly pushing his tongue inside Hiki’s mouth.  
Hiki returned Howl’s kiss eagerly. “Mmnn… Ahn...”  
The smacking sounds echoed in the big kitchen. Hiki’s heart was beating like crazy. Howl placed his big, warm hand on the back of Hiki’s head as if he wanted to make sure that his husband couldn’t escape. As if Hiki would try to after finally getting what he had been craving for.  
“Good morning, sunshine!” said a loud voice coming from the living room, effectively ending their kiss.  
The two jolted apart. Hiki’s face was beet red and hot, so he tried to hide it inside the fridge, acting as if he was looking for something.  
“Good morning, Sophie,” Howl said and cleared his throat.  
“Did I interrupt something? I’m sorry,” Sophie said as she noticed their weird behaviour.  
“N-No, it’s all good. Umm, Sophie, why are you up already?” Hiki asked, still flustered.  
“Well, I went to bed around four, but since I always get up early, my body got used to it, so sleeping in is something that rarely happens.” She sighed as she leaned against the kitchen island.  
“Oh, by the way, I’m really sorry, but your rental car reeks of fish. We forgot to bring the bags in last night,” Hiki told her, his head still inside the fridge.  
“Oh my. Hahaha. I should air it out later, I guess. The smell will fade. No biggie,” Sophie replied.  
Hiki expected her reaction to be like that. Sophie was really an easy-going person.  
“Hahh, Marshmallow... I have to say, your Aniki is a very interesting person,” she commented out of the blue.  
“Aniki? Yeah, I know, right? He’s really cool. And diligent and strong, physically but also mentally. And he’s really brave and smart!” Hiki praised his big brother while cutting some vegetables, his face having cooled down a bit.  
“You really look up to him, huh?” Sophie smiled.  
“I do. I just wish we talked more like we did when we were kids. I miss that,” Hiki replied.  
“Is that so…?” Sophie mumbled.  
“Good morning,” came a dark voice from the kitchen entrance.  
“Aniki?! You stayed over?” Hiki asked, surprised at the unexpected sight of his big brother.  
“Yes. I hope that’s okay. I used Hajime’s room. Sophie and I talked all night; we didn’t notice the time and it was too late to drive back home,” he explained.  
“Sure! I hope you slept well!” Hiki smiled. “Are you going to stay?”  
Hiroki glanced at Sophie, then averted his gaze when they met each other’s eyes. “Uh, yeah.” He scratched the back of his head. “I’m gonna stay today too. S-Since it’s a dangerous situation for the two of you, I’d feel better if I took care of this matter personally.”  
He’s so cute, Sophie thought and smiled.  
Howl glanced at Hiroki and Sophie, one eyebrow raised. “Well, thank you for being so generous with your time, Hiroki-san,” he said. He assumed that there was something going on between them and, normally, Sophie would’ve told Howl directly, but she probably held back out of respect for Hiroki…which meant that she really liked him. Howl sighed. “Hikkun, do you need help with anything?”  
“No, I'm almost done. You have to go to work soon, so just sit down and rest a little.”  
“I'm not going to go to the office. Kinsley is taking care of everything and he’ll call me if something is wrong. I'm not gonna leave you alone as long as Fujimura hasn't been found.”  
“What? But your new client…You can’t leave him to Kinsley, can you? And I won't be alone. Hiroki and Sophie are here. Howl, you--”  
“Hikaru, Kinsley is the best head assistant anyone could wish for. He’ll manage. I’m not leaving your side at a time like this. I'm going to have a video conference with that client later. Everything will be fine. Don’t worry,” Howl assured him.  
“Okay, if you say so.” Hiki was a little happy that he got to spend the day with Howl, of course. But at the same time, he didn't want to trouble his husband any further. Hiki knew that this new client was an important one.  
After they had breakfast, Hiki decided to study a little while Howl went upstairs for his video conference.  
Hiki sat at the desk in the living room and Sophie and Hiroki stayed in the kitchen so he could focus on his studies better. It felt like forever since Hiki last opened his textbooks. He needed the distraction though, and diving into Japanese history was perfect for that.  
After a while, Hiki heard the sound of a door slamming open. Shortly after, Howl rushed down the stairs, muttering.  
“Damn it. Why now of all times!? Why does he have to be such a handful?”  
“Howl, what happened?” Hiki asked while taking off his reading glasses.  
“That new client wants to meet me again. He said he wants me to be there when he’s signing the last documents, so I have to go. What a nuisance. But I don't want to leave you alone, so you'll have to come with me.”  
“Eh? But…”  
“Brother, you're being overprotective,” Sophie said as she walked into the room together with Hiroki to see what the commotion was all about.  
“I am not going to leave Hikaru’s side. No discussion,” Howl growled.  
“Brother, he has me and Hiroki to protect him, so calm down.”  
“That’s not the same!”  
“Howl, please be reasonable… You’re letting your emotions take control,” Hiroki said.  
“That’s what happens when it comes to Hikaru,” Howl replied.  
They kept arguing, but Hiki had only one thought…  
“Who's going to protect you?”  
Howl, Sophie, and Hiroki stopped talking and looked at Hiki.  
“Who’s going to look after you? You’re in danger too, Howl. Fujimura could be after you since you beat him up, so I’m worried about you too!” Hiki yelled.  
“Hikkun… I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”  
“No, he’s right, Howl,” Sophie agreed. “You need protection too. So how about I go with you and Hiroki stays with Hiki?”  
“Mhh…” Howl wasn’t happy with Sophie’s suggestion.  
“Do you think that I can’t protect my little brother?” Hiroki asked, his eyebrows raised.  
Howl sighed loudly and replied, “Okay, fine. I guess there’s no other choice. And it’s three against one. But Hikkun, I want you to send me a message if something’s wrong or if you’re scared. Or--”  
“Jeez, Howl! It’ll be fine.” Hiki said and smiled at him. “Just go to work already. They’re waiting for you, right? But please be careful and come back home safe. Dinner is going to be ready when you’re back.”  
“I will, Hikkun,” Howl promised. “And don’t forget what the doctors at the hospital said. Technically, you should be in bed right now, so make sure to rest a lot, okay? Don’t overdo it.”  
“Yessir!” Hiki replied and saluted.  
Howl smiled lovingly, patted his husband’s head, and went upstairs to change into a suit. Then he and Sophie left.  
Although Hiki would’ve been happy to spend the day with his husband, he was also happy to have some alone time with his big brother.  
“Umm… Hikaru… You can continue with your studies. I’m just going to sit over there and read or something,” Hiroki said.  
“Will do. Just a bit longer,” he smiled.  
Around three hours later, Hiki was done. He shut the computer off and closed the books that were scattered all over the desk. “Haaaaaa…” he sighed loudly. “That took longer than expected. I think my brain is going to explode. Poof!” Hiki turned around to look out for his big brother.  
Hiroki was sitting in the armchair, reading a book. When he realized that Hiki was done with his studying, he closed the book. “Good job, little brother.”  
“Thank you,” Hiki replied and stretched. “Haa... Uhm, Aniki, I’m going to make some tea. Would you like some? We also have some Ichigo Daifuku. You still love sweets, right?” Hiki smiled.  
Hiroki couldn’t refuse even if he wanted to. He had always had a weak spot for Hiki’s smile. “Sure, why not,” he answered.  
“Okay, great!” Hiki went over to the kitchen and prepared two cups of green tea and some of the strawberry filled rice cakes. He brought them to the living room and sat down on the sofa.  
“How’re you feeling?” Hiroki asked. He wanted to make sure his little brother was okay.  
“Ah…uhm...” Hiki was surprised by that sudden question. “I-I’m okay,” he answered.  
“That guy really did a number on you, huh?”  
“Yeah…But I landed one too. Hehe,” he giggled insecurely. He didn’t want his brother to think badly of him because of what happened.  
“I bet you did,” Hiroki replied. “You’re an Ueda, after all. It’s in your blood to fight. And you already learned the basics of different martial arts when you were a kid. If it wasn’t for your, uhm… little handicap that night… I’m sure none of that would have happened.” Hiroki looked at Hiki and smiled.  
Hiki’s heart felt like it was bursting of joy. He was so happy that his big brother, whom he admired so much, had said that. That he acknowledged him.  
“Hikaru, you’re beet red. Calm down.”  
“Ah, I’m sorry, it’s just… I’m so happy to hear that you think I’m strong. I felt so weak. I hate feeling weak.”  
“Well, that’s a strong Ueda trait as well,” Hiroki chuckled.  
“Oh, by the way, how are our parents doing? I haven’t heard from our father in a while.”  
“Our old man is really busy with work. There have been some issues with one of our sub groups. But he checks up on you all the time. Hajime always has to report to him what’s going on in your life. And our mother… Well, you know how she is...since Satoshi’s death and whatnot,” Hiroki sighed. “Our old man was furious after Howl told him what happened. I’d never seen him lose his composure before. He ordered me and some of his best men to go after Fujimura, but by then, it was too late. He had already gone.” Hiroki frowned.  
“Aniki, do you really think that he might show up here? That he’s after me or Howl?” Hiki asked.  
“Well, it’s just an assumption, but judging by what Howl told us, it’s possible.”  
Hiki unwillingly remembered the expression on Fujimura’s face that night when he got in the elevator after Howl had beaten him up. That expression right before the door closed -- one of pure rage and hatred directed at him. Hiki shuddered.  
Right at that moment, Hiki’s phone buzzed. He took it and looked at the screen. “Ah, sorry. I got an email.”  
“It’s okay. Check it. It might be important,” Hiroki nodded.  
Hiki opened the mail. “It’s from the cosplay café I’m working at part time……… Oh.”  
“What is it?”  
“They fired me. My boss said I’m taking too long to come back to work and that he needs a more reliable worker... It’s too bad. I really liked that job.... I’ll have to find a new one when I’m fully recovered. Howl’ll be happy to hear about this, though. He hates my boss,,” Hiki thought loudly. He had kind of expected to lose his job, but it still sucked.  
*Bzzz bzzzz*  
“Ah, it’s my phone this time,” Hiroki said. He took his phone from the table and looked at the screen, his expression darkening. “Hmm… Hikaru, I have to make some phone calls. It’ll take a while.”  
“Alright,” Hiki replied. “I’ll go and make lunch for us and start preparing tonight’s dinner. Hajime should be here soon, too. I texted him earlier since he was originally supposed to be here for the Kobe dinner. Ishikawa will drive him here and pick him up afterwards. It’s okay, right?” He smiled at his brother.  
“You two, seriously. Always such a handful. Haaa… Yes, it’s okay,” Hiroki surrendered.  
“Yay! Thank you, Aniki!” Hiki said, practically glowing, and went to the kitchen.  
Hiroki sighed and went upstairs.  
Hiki took some pots and pans from the cupboard and placed a knife on the kitchen table right next to the big wooden cutting board. He decided to make Udon for lunch, which was Hajime’s favorite, and tonight they would have the Kobe beef with several side dishes, like rice and vegetables. He also wanted to make some fried potatoes since they were one of Howl’s favorites.  
It was too early to cook everything. Howl and Sophie wouldn’t be back soon, but he wanted to at least cut the vegetables and get everything ready so that the actual cooking later would be faster.  
While working in the kitchen, Hiki’s thoughts began to wander. So much happened in the past week. Has it really only been a week?  
Suddenly, a loud noise pulled Hiki back to the present.  
CLANK! RATTLE! CLONGGGG!  
It came from the front yard. The kitchen was connected to it. Hiki wanted to go outside and check, but he hesitated. He felt uneasy. Almost anxious. For a moment, he thought about calling his brother...  
“Jeez... Just go and check real quick. It’ll be fine,” he said to himself as he straightened his posture, walked over to the door that lead to the garden, and opened it slowly.  
*WHOOSH*  
A cold breeze came in. The sky had darkened. It looked like there was a thunderstorm coming.  
“Ugh, it’s freezing. I should hurry.” He stepped outside, looked for the source of the noise, and found it at the trash bins around the corner. “Hm? The bins fell over…” Hiki thought some tanukis or raccoons might’ve done it while looking for food. It’s happened before, but they usually stayed to skim the trash for a meal…  
Now there was nothing. No sign of tanukis or raccoons.  
Hiki’s grip around the big kitchen knife tightened.  
Wait… A knife?  
Hiki looked at his hand. He was holding the kitchen knife he had put on the counter before. When did he take it? He didn’t even realize that he had done so. But for some reason, he felt safer knowing that he had it with him, especially with this freaky pre-thunderstorm atmosphere.  
On the other hand…if Fujimura attacked him right now, would he even be able to use it? Would he be able to hurt someone else like that?  
His expression darkened. “No way.” he said to himself. “Absolutely no way.”  
*WHOOSH*  
He shuddered. “I should go back before I catch a cold,” Hiki said to himself and began walking back. The uneasy feeling in his chest didn’t go away. He walked faster, shut the door behind him quickly, and locked it.  
He felt like an idiot. There wasn’t anything out there, so why was he so scared?  
“Ahhh, stop it! You have work to do, so pull yourself together and get it done,” Hiki ordered himself as he pulled up his sleeves, washed his hands, and started chopping some cabbage.  
*DING DONG*  
“Wah!” Hiki jolted and dropped the knife, which almost hit his foot. “Jeez, that damn doorbell scared me. And sure, why not. A knife in my foot is exactly what I’m missing. Tch.” Hiki was mad at himself. “Heh, so much for using a knife as protection.” Hiki scoffed at himself. He went over to the front door and could already see Hajime fidgeting through the glass window.  
“Uwahhh, Hicchan, so cold!” Hajime whined as he barged inside. “Looks like a storm is coming up, but the weather channel said it’ll pass us.”  
“Oh, that’s good then,” Hiki answered.  
“Hicchan, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost…” his brother noticed.  
“No, I’m okay. Come on, let’s get to work. There’s a lot to do.”  
“Alright!” And the two of them headed to the kitchen and continued where Hiki had left off.

A few hours later at Howl’s office…

  
“Haaa…” Howl sighed loudly and leaned back in his big black chair. He took off his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose.  
Finally done. All contracts signed. Now let’s pick up Sophie and head back home, he thought. His work day had been so busy. Howl was drained. But he still managed to text Hiki every hour to make sure everything was okay.  
He missed his husband like he always did when he was at work. But now, he was also worried. Howl looked forward to getting back home. And right now, all he wanted to do was sleep -- with Hiki in his arms. He actually wanted to do a little more than just sleep, but it’s only been a week. Howl didn’t want to pressure Hiki, so he made sure not to raise sexual tension… Though that kiss in the kitchen this morning…  
“I guess I failed,” he sighed. Howl wanted Hiki to have space and time to heal. Physically, but also mentally.  
He shut down his computer, got up, and walked out of his office. His head assistant, Kinsley, a British man in his 50s, was waiting for him with his coat ready and handed it to Howl while they walked to the elevator.  
“Thank you, Kinsley. Do you also have my--”  
“Yes, I have it right here,” he interrupted Howl and handed him his big, black, heavy briefcase. “I put all the contracts and documents that need to be revised and your signature inside. I marked the most important parts as well. I will send someone to pick them up in two days. Please don’t worry about anything else. In case of an emergency, I will call you. If I don’t call, rest assured that everything is going smoothly. From now on, you can take care of Hikaru-kun without further interruption since Miyagawa-san has finally signed all the documents,” the diligent man said.  
“That guy is quite a handful, isn’t he?” Howl said with an annoyed expression.  
“He certainly is,” Kinsley agreed.  
Howl had been working with Kinsley for many years now. He knew him from the time when he was a normal employee at a big company. He was his boss’ secretary. When Howl established his own company, he asked Kinsley to work for him. Kinsley gladly took his offer since they always got along very well and they made a great team. Similar to Howl, Kinsley had spent some of his childhood in Great Britain but most of his life in Japan. Kinsley’s mother was Japanese and, after his father’s death, they moved to Japan.  
Howl trusted him completely. They worked together, but furthermore, they were best friends. Kinsley took care of the company readily right after Hiki was attacked so that Howl could stay at home and take care of his injured husband.  
“Thank you for keeping my schedule clear these days. I appreciate it very much,” Howl said and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.  
“That’s a given under these circumstances. How is Hikaru-kun holding up?” he asked. Of course Kinsley also had a good relationship with Hiki. He also had attended their wedding.  
“He’s doing his best to cope with the situation. The painkillers work well, so he feels alright… Well, that’s what he’s telling me, anyway. He doesn’t rest enough, though, but arguing with him is pointless. He can be so stubborn.”  
“That’s rich, coming from you,” Kinsley replied, one eyebrow raised.  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, old man. Anyway, mentally, he’s still processing everything, I think. He has nightmares.”  
“That’s to be expected after going through such a trauma,” Kinsley said.  
The two men were standing in front of the elevators now. There were only a few people left in the office.  
“If I would have taken Fujimura with me to that trip instead of you, none of this would have happened. You would have brought him home safely. Or I should’ve taken Hiki with me...” Howl mumbled.  
“With all due respect, but that’s rubbish. Fujimura posed a danger to Hikaru-kun. He would have just attacked him at another occasion. I should have known something was wrong with him. He was always eager to bring or pick up documents to your home and he kept talking about Hikaru-kun afterwards. But you know, in the end, what happened happened, and no one could have known that it would happen. It’s no use blaming ourselves or others. That won’t help Hikaru-kun nor will it undo what happened, and the only one to blame here is Fujimura himself,” Kinsley said with an earnest expression.  
“You’re right. You’re the best assistant, you know that?” Howl smirked at him.  
“I know.”  
“You deserve a raise. Tell that to your boss,” Howl said jokingly as he stepped into the elevator that had just arrived. He put his keycard in the card reader inside and pushed the button for the penthouse.  
“Talk to you later, Kinsley.”  
“Yes, sir. Thank you for your hard work,” Kinsley said as the elevator door closed.

 

When Howl arrived at their floor, he walked down the hallway that was covered in black marvel. He opened the door. “Sophie? Are you ready?” Howl called out for his sister. He had texted her half an hour before he had left the office so that she’d be ready to leave when he was done with his work.  
“Yes, I’m coming!” she replied when she opened the bathroom door. “Sorry, had to pee. We’ll have a long drive ahead of us, hehe”  
“Yeah, just hurry up, I want to leave already,” he rushed her. “Oh, did you pack the clothes like I asked you to?”  
“I did. Everything should be in there,” she said as she grabbed a big red bag and tossed it to her brother who caught it.  
“Uff... Thanks.” Howl had asked her to pack more clothes for Hiki and him because they would be staying longer at the house than planned. And, if everything went well, Howl wouldn’t have to come back to the condo soon.

  
“Ah, I can’t believe this. Why is there a traffic jam at this hour? Rush hour should be over by now!” Howl nagged.  
“Calm down, brother. You should have a Snickers... I don’t have one though, but I have coffee,” she tried to soothe him and pulled out a tumbler from her handbag. “I thought you might need some. ”  
“Good thinking! Thank you.” He grabbed the tumbler and took a sip. “Haaa… So good.”  
“Are you gonna start purring now? You should keep that for Hiki. Though…come to think of it, he’s probably the one who purrs since he’s the neko*, hehe.”  
Howl choked on his coffee. That had caught him off guard.  
“Jeez, Sophie!” He glared at her. “No purring currently. Hiki needs space.”  
“No, he doesn’t. You only think he does. Maybe that’s what you’d need, but Hiki is different. He needs you. And I mean all of you. When was the last time you two did it?” she asked bluntly. Sophie and Howl knew no boundaries when it came to things like that. Maybe that was because they had such a strong connection as twins.  
“A few days before I left for my work trip.” Howl stared at the bright red brake lights of the car in front of them.  
“So, that’s how long ago? Two weeks?”  
“Something like that.”  
“Howl, think of it like this: Hiki’s last sexual encounter was with Fujimura. I’m not saying that having sex with him will erase all the bad memories, but right now, those memories are at the forefront. You should try to overwrite some of them. He also needs the closeness. A kiss on the cheek and a hug won’t do. It’s not enough.”  
“Are you saying that I’m not taking good care of him?”  
“No, it’s not what I’m saying and you know that. But think about it. Every time you two get a little closer, you run off. How do you think that makes Hiki feel?”  
“How do you know about that? Did he talk about it with you?”  
“He actually did. After we went to the market. He’s very insecure about your behaviour…. And, I think he’s pretty pent up.” Sophie winked at him.  
“Tch. Okay. I’m gonna think about what you just said,” Howl promised.  
The car in front of them started moving again and they soon passed a road construction area which was the cause for the traffic jam. After that, the road was clear and they arrived at the house soon after.  
When they entered the house, a pleasant smell of grilled beef was in the air.  
“Howl? Sophie?” Hiki’s voice sounded from the kitchen right before he showed up, followed by Hajime.  
“Welcome home!” he smiled brightly at them.  
“Welcome back, Howl-nii and Sophie-nee,” Hajime greeted them as well in his usual lively manner.  
“We’re home.” Howl greeted them as he pulled off his coat. “You’re back, Hajime? Weren’t you supposed to stay at home because it’s too dangerous around here?” he asked.  
“Howl, I invited him for the Kobe steak dinner, remember? Aniki gave us his okay. He won’t spend the night, though. It’s okay, right?” Hiki was happy to have his little brother around. Especially since it was a bit lonely with Howl and Sophie gone and Hiroki upstairs on the phone all the time.  
“I guess it’s fine if your Aniki says so. Haaa… Hikkun, it smells great in here,“ Howl changed the topic.  
“I made the Kobe and veggies and fried potatoes and your favorite garlic butter. You must be hungry, so please sit down. I just have to get the steaks -- the rest is already on the table,” Hiki said and walked back to the kitchen.  
Howl looked over to the dining table and saw that it was already laid and ready. Howl sighed. “This guy. He was supposed to rest…”  
“I helped him to make sure he wouldn’t overdo it, so don’t worry, Howl-nii,” Hajime assured him with a smile.  
“Thank you, Hajime. I really appreciate it.”  
“He’s such a diligent housewife. You’re so lucky, brother.” Sophie giggled and bumped her elbow into Howl’s ribs.  
“I am lucky indeed,” he agreed while rubbing his ribs. He followed Sophie to the dining table and sat down.  
Hiki brought the beef and sat down as well. “We’ll have to wait a second. Aniki is upstairs on the phone. He kept getting calls all afternoon. He must be really busy and now he’s stuck here with me.” Hiki frowned.  
“He’s not stuck here, Marshmallow. He’s here because he wants to be here. He cares for his little brother so you should be happy about it. He could have sent one of his men, but he decided to watch over you himself,” Sophie said with a loving smile.  
“Hmm, I guess that’s true.” Hiki smiled back.  
“I’m sorry for making you all wait. Welcome back, Sophie and Howl,” Hiroki said as he came down the stairs and joined the others. “There’s still no lead on Fujimura. He has family in Hokkaido, but my men couldn’t find him there and his parents don’t know where he is either.”  
“Y-You sent your men to his parents?” Hiki asked with wide eyes.  
“Don’t worry, they didn’t harm them,” Hiroki assured him.  
“Let’s talk about this after dinner. Hiki worked hard for our meal, so let’s enjoy it while it’s still warm,” Sophie suggested.  
Everyone agreed and they started digging in.  
“Hikkun, why are you eating fish instead of steak? It’s great quality meat...” Howl wondered.  
“Well, um… Remember this morning? I gave my steak to the stray dog that wasn’t really a stray dog. But the salmon is really good too,” Hikaru smiled.  
“You can have mine. Here,” Howl offered.  
“Noooo! No, Howl, we bought them because you were craving Kobe steak. I’m fine with my salmon, so please just eat your steak!”  
“There is no joy in eating it if you don’t have any.”  
“Howl seriously, my salmon is great. Next time I go to the market I will buy some Kobe again and not feed my slice to a dog. Or maybe I should just buy more, hehe,” Hiki joked.  
“That would be fine with me, but you’re the one who’s always so hesitant to buy it, you little penny pincher,” Howl teased his husband.  
“I’m not a penny pincher. I’m just careful with money,” Hiki replied.  
“Hikaru has always been like that. Even when we were kids. Our parents liked to buy expensive things and he always scolded them. It was quite cute,” Hiroki threw in.  
“Yeah, that sounds just like him. Okay… How about you have half of my steak and I get half of your salmon?” Howl suggested.  
Hiki giggled. “Okay, okay. Jeez. But I don’t want half of your steak. That’s too much.” He cut his grilled fish in half and handed it over to Howl.  
“Okay, cut off your own piece then.”  
Hiki leaned over to Howl and took about a third of it.  
“Thank you, Howl.” He gave him a warm smile.  
Howl’s heart skipped a beat. Jeez, don’t look at me like that in front of everyone, he thought.  
“Oh wow, Hicchan! These fried potatoes are amazing!” Hajime interrupted their flirting. “And that garlic butter is so yummy!! I never had something like that before!”  
“It’s a western dish. I learned it from a cooking show and it looked and sounded so good that I wanted to try it. And the potatoes became one of Howl’s favorites.” Hiki smiled proudly.  
Howl noticed that Hiki had been smiling again since they came to the house. The change of his surroundings and being surrounded by his family seemed to help him cope.  
“I have to agree, little brother. Everything is absolutely delicious!” Hiroki agreed.  
“It’s perfect, Hikkun,” Howl joined the praising with a loving smile.  
“Thank you, I’m so happy that you like it.” Hiki sparkled. It was a great joy for him whenever people loved the food he made.  
They ate and talked. After that sumptuous meal, Hiki also served a custard tart. It was fun for him to make western or british dishes and desserts for Howl from time to time. Hiki felt so complete being with the people he loved. It was loud, everyone laughed and chatted, and they had a great time. It was almost as if nothing bad had ever happened, until…  
“So, about Fujimura…” Hiroki said after they had settled down on the sofa in front of the big fireplace for a last cup of tea before they headed to bed.  
Suddenly, it became quiet.  
“You mentioned earlier that your men still haven’t found him and that even his family doesn’t know where he is, right?” Howl asked.  
“That is correct. We still have no idea where he is right now. Tomorrow, we’re going to search the neighborhood and ask your neighbors if they saw anything unusual. We’re going to start at the konbini and work our way down here,” Hiroki announced.  
“No!” Hiki stood up from the sofa. That was too sudden and his maltreated body ached. “Ngh.” He held his side.  
“Hikkun, easy there. You overdid it today, didn’t you?” Howl was worried.  
“I’m fine,” Hiki said and gave Howl a half-hearted smile. “Aniki, please don’t do that. I don’t want our neighbors to be scared or to think badly of us. I really like the people around here. They’re very accepting of our marriage. I don’t want yakuza to knock on their doors and ask weird questions. Please!” Hiki begged.  
“Mhhh... Okay, fine. I’m going to call them off. But we can’t stay here forever.”  
“I know. We should go back to Tokyo and you should go back home. We should all continue with our lives and not be controlled by some psychopath. And I really don’t think he’s going to show up. He doesn’t have the guts,” Hiki said.  
He was so frustrated. But, at the same time, he kept thinking of all those weird little incidents. Like the person he saw on the market that he thought looked like Fujimura, but then he vanished. Or the commotion in the garden earlier and the trash bins that had somehow fallen over. Or that weird feeling of being watched every time he’s outside.  
*Bzzz bzzz*  
Hiroki’s phone went off. “Ah, that’s my driver. Hajime, time to go.”  
“Alright. It’s really late, after all. Good night, everyone. Hicchan, I’ll call you tomorrow,” Hajime said in an unusually earnest tone.  
“Yeah. Good night, Hacchan.”  
“Hikaru, we should head to bed now.” Howl said.  
“I’ll put away the teacups first,” Hiki replied with a monotone voice.  
“It’s okay, marshmallow. I’ll do that. I’m not that tired yet, so I’m gonna stay here for a little longer,” Sophie said, throwing a quick and subtle glimpse at Hiroki.  
“I will stay up a little longer too. I have to call my men and cancel the interrogation tomorrow,” Hiroki said.  
Hiki and Howl went upstairs to the bathroom and straight to the bedroom afterwards.  
“Howl… Is it just me, or is there something going on between Sophie and Aniki?” Hikaru asked, while taking the duvet off the bed with Howl’s help.  
“No, it’s not just you.” Howl answered. “But Hikkun… What’s wrong? You were a little weird earlier.”  
“I... Nothing. It’s just that…” Hiki thought about those incidents again, but it was probably all in his head anyway. Nothing to worry about and Howl surely was worried enough as it was. “Well... “  
“Hikkun, you can talk to me about anything, you know that, right? You can trust me one hundred percent...”  
That pained expression on Howl’s face made Hiki’s heart ache. What was he doing to his husband? Why couldn’t he be more honest about his feelings like he had always been before? He never had to hold back in front of Howl. He could talk about anything with him and Howl had always, always been there for him.  
“I’m okay, Howl. Really. It’s just that…I hate the feeling of Fujimura being in control over my life. That night…he had complete control over me and I couldn’t do anything about it. I felt helpless and weak. And this situation we’re in right now feels similar to that. I don’t want to feel like that anymore. I want to feel free again. I don’t want to be scared. I want to move around normally. I just…want our life back as it was... Kh…” Hiki gritted his teeth.  
“Hikkun... “ Howl walked over to him and hugged him tightly. “It’ll be alright. You’ll see. Everything’s gonna be back to normal soon,” he comforted him. “Let’s go to sleep. It was a very long day,” he added.  
Hiki crawled under the blanket. Howl joined him soon after and they turned off the lamps on their night stands.  
“Howl…?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Can you hold me, please?”  
“Hikkun, I…”  
“In your arms, I mean. I… I just…want...to be the little spoon.”  
“Of course.” Howl wanted to tell him how cute he was and that he wanted nothing more than to eat him up, but Hiki didn’t like to be called cute, so he held back, moved closer to his beloved husband, and hugged him from behind. Maybe Sophie was right and Hiki needed more… But not tonight.  
“Mhh… Better...” Hiki whispered.  
They both fell asleep with a few deep breaths.

  
CHAPTER END 


	13. The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We're almost at the end, guys! T__T  
> One more chapter to come and a little extra. Stay tuned and thank you for leaving comments and kudos <3

The next morning, loud noises coming from downstairs woke Howl and Hiki.  
“Mh… Howl? What was that?” Hiki asked drowsily.  
“I don’t know…but we should probably go and check…in five minutes,” Howl responded as he moved towards Hiki. His husband had rolled around in his sleep a lot last night. They were now facing each other and Howl placed a tender kiss on his husband’s forehead and then on his lips.  
“Ah, Howl, no! I haven’t brushed my teeth yet. It’s gross.”  
“It’s not gross. You always taste delicious to me. I want to eat you up.” He kissed Hiki again, this time slipping his tongue past his husband’s lips with a low groan.  
Hiki felt like he was melting. When Howl ran his fingers through his hair, his other hand caressing his neck, Hiki shuddered and grabbed the collar of Howl’s pajama. The sound of their kissing filled the room.  
“Mh… ah…” Hiki moaned lustfully.  
Suddenly, there came another loud noise from downstairs, followed by swearing.  
Was that Hiroki?  
They parted slowly with a soft smack followed by three soft kisses. Howl pressed his forehead on Hiki’s. “We should get up and see what’s going on,” Howl sighed. He gave Hiki one last kiss on the lips and got out of the bed.  
“I’ll be there in a second,” Hiki said breathlessly. He covered his flushed face with the blanket.  
Howl chuckled, grabbed his dressing gown, and left the bedroom.  
“Oh, God! Not now! Please go away! Bad, baaaad timing, so please go away!” Hiki begged as he lifted the blanket and looked down at his very excited dick. “Ugh, crap... Jeez, calm down. I know it’s hard, but…” Hiki giggled. Dammit. How will I get rid of this now? he thought. He got up and waddled to the bathroom.

  
Howl reached the bottom of the stairs. The commotion was coming from the kitchen.  
“What the heck is going on in here?” Howl asked as he entered the kitchen. The once-immaculate space now looked like a tornado had passed through it. “Why does it look like the fridge exploded? What are you doing?” he asked Hiroki and Sophie, both of whom were standing in the middle of the chaos covered in stains.  
“Oh! Good morning, brother! Coffee?” Sophie grinned.  
“Good morning,” Hiroki greeted him with a frustrated expression on his face.  
“Explain,” Howl gritted out.  
“Well, we were trying to make breakfast but, unfortunately, neither of us can cook, so we tried to follow this cooking video from YouTube, but it wasn’t all that helpful,” Hiroki answered.  
“And why were you trying to make breakfast?”  
“For Hiki, of course. Today is Friday. It’s been exactly one week now. We thought that he might be struggling a little, so we wanted to do something for him. But it didn’t turn out as planned…” Sophie pouted.  
Howl sighed. “Seriously, you two... All right. I’m gonna go back upstairs, check on Hiki, and tell him to take a bath or something. He’d be shocked if he saw this and he’d want to clean it up himself. You two better get everything clean while he’s still upstairs. While he’s busy, I’ll come down and help you two with the cleaning and the food.”  
The two agreed and Howl went back upstairs. He peeked inside the room and found it empty.  
Howl knocked on the bathroom door. “Hikkun, are you in there? Can I come in?”  
“N-NO!” he heard Hiki say.  
“Are you all right, Hikkun?”  
“Y-Yeah. I’m fine. I-I decided to take a bath. I’ll be down soon t-to get breakfast ready,” Hiki stuttered.  
“Okay. Please take your time. Take all the time you need, okay?” Howl said.  
“O-Okay.”  
Howl was silent for a moment, thinking about what Sophie had said.  
“Hikkun?”  
“Yes, Howl?”  
“I love you.”  
“...I love you too.”  
Howl hoped that Hiki was okay. He was acting a little strange and his voice sounded weird… Taking a bath before making breakfast was something his husband never did. Howl was worried, but he decided not to push and went back to the kitchen.

Hiki was relieved.  
Jeez, that was close. I’m glad he didn’t just barge in, he thought.  
He was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, with his hard dick in his hand.  
I need to focus and solve this…little problem…so I can go and make breakfast.

When Howl re-entered the kitchen, Sophie and Hiroki had already started with the cleaning. It would probably take hours to get the kitchen back to its previous state…  
“Why don’t you go and buy some breakfast? Or order in, if possible,” Howl proposed. At this rate, the cleaning wouldn’t be done by noon and they won’t have anything to eat.  
“There’s an inn close to our parents’ house over in Machida. We used to go there every weekend for breakfast when we were kids and our parents still do. It’s not far from here. I don’t want to leave, though. So I’ll just call them and ask them to deliver. I’m sure it won’t be a problem,” Hiroki offered. “Any special requests?”  
“Miso and tamagoyaki for Hiki. He loves those. Oh, and grilled fish, please. And ask for bacon. I feel like having loads of bacon and scrambled eggs,” Howl said. “Haa... I’m kind of worried about Hiki. He was behaving strangely earlier. I’m gonna go back and check on him. Please try to get this mess under control in the meantime.”  
“Yes, brother, Sir! Go take care of the marshmallow,” Sophie replied while saluting her brother like a soldier.  
“Don’t worry. We’ll have this place spick and span when you two come down,” Hiroki assured him.  
Howl sighed and left the kitchen.

He knocked on the bathroom door again.  
“Hikkun, I’m coming in. Are you okay? You sounded like you weren’t feeling well,” he said and opened the door. “I’m sorry to intr--”  
“No! Please don’t come in!” Hiki, who was still sitting on the floor, tried to cover up as he blushed like crazy.  
“Hikkun, are you...masturbating?” Howl asked stupidly.  
“NO!!!... Well...yes, but…it’s your fault! It’s because of that...THAT kiss! It’s your fault and I’m trying to get rid of...this…but it won’t go away!” Hiki replied in frustration. “It’s just…no good if it’s not with you.”  
“Hikkun…” Howl whispered. He knelt down and hugged his husband from behind.  
Hiki closed his eyes, mortified, and leaned against the wall.  
“How about I take responsibility and...lend you a hand,” Howl whispered in his ear.  
Hiki shuddered. He was weak to Howl’s deep voice, especially when Howl whispered lewd things into his ear. “N-No! This is embarrassing!”  
Howl kissed his neck and slowly moved over to Hiki’s shoulder. He pulled down the collar of Hiki’s shirt and continued kissing and licking his soft, pale skin.  
Howl’s warm breath and soft lips made Hiki tremble. It felt so good to be this close to each other.  
“Hn… Ah!”  
Howl’s right hand slowly moved down to Hikaru’s crotch.  
Hiki pulled his shirt down, embarrassed, and tried to hide his erection.  
“It’s okay,” Howl whispered as he held Hiki’s hands in his, encouraging him to let go.  
With a choked sound, Hiki released his tight grip on the fabric.  
Howl caressed his husbands thigh with his fingertips as if he was rewarding Hiki for being such a good boy.  
Hiki shuddered in excitement.  
“Ngh, ah!”  
Hiki was in seiza position (formal sitting position in Japan where someone is kneeling and their buttocks are resting on their feet) with Howl kneeling behind him. Hiki’s breath was bouncing against the wall and hitting his face.  
Howl was so close and so attuned to his husband’s body that he could feel Hiki’s heartbeat battering under his ribs.  
But something didn’t feel right.  
“Howl…” Hiki breathed in a high-pitched tone.  
Howl caressed Hiki’s erect dick. It was twitching in his hand. Hiki jolted against him, making Howl smile. “Hikkun, you’re oozing precum… Are you that pent up?” he whispered into his husband’s ear.  
“N-No! I’m n-… Ah!”  
Howl tightened his grip on Hiki’s cock and began to slowly jerk him off. He continued kissing Hiki’s shoulder and neck, occasionally biting him playfully.  
It was too much! Hiki felt like he was going to combust. He was about to cum!  
Howl could tell that Hiki was close, so he started focusing all his attention on the tip of Hiki’s poor, red cock.  
“Can you hear that, Hikkun? You’re so lewd,” he whispered as he nibbled on Hiki’s ear.  
“Howl! Ah! Don’t…!” Hiki moaned.  
“Hikkun?”  
Hiki turned his head and met Howl’s gaze.  
Howl’s hand stopped moving instantly at the sight of tears falling from Hiki’s eyes. “Hikaru, are you okay? What’s wrong?” When no response came, he let go of Hiki’s cock and held his beloved close to him. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. This was a bad idea after all--”  
“NO! Ngh… Please, Howl... Don’t stop... Please keep going. Just...not like this.”  
Howl immediately realized what the problem was. He moved backwards and gave Hiki a little space so that Hiki was able to move away from the wall and turn around.  
They were now facing each other.  
“This is better… I can see you now...” Hiki smiled.  
Looking at Hiki’s glowing face, lust and shyness simultaneously shining through his eyes, made it difficult for Howl to keep his passion in check. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to be connected with Hiki; to be inside him and feel his heat.  
But now wasn’t the time.  
Firstly, Sophie and Hiroki were downstairs, probably about to call them for breakfast soon. Secondly, they were in the bathroom. There was no way they could do it on the hard bathroom floor with Hiki’s condition. Lastly, he wanted to take his time with his husband.  
So he pulled himself together and focused on giving Hiki pleasure instead. He moved closer to his husband and breathed, “Hikkun, I love you so much…” He kissed him passionately as he continued pumping Hiki’s still rock-hard dick. “So wet, Hikkun…” he sighed in between kisses.  
“Hngah! Howl…! It feels…so good… ngh… Your hand is… UWAH AH!”  
“Hikkun, shhh… Your voice. We have thick walls, but you still have to keep it down a little,” Howl reminded with a gentle smile.  
“Ah, I’m sor-ry! Ngh”  
It didn’t take long for Hiki to begin trembling, signaling that he was getting close to coming, so Howl went back to focusing on the tip. He knew that if he rubbed his thumb against a certain part of his beloved’s cock, it would drive Hiki crazy. So he teased that spot and Hiki jolted in his arms, his breathing getting heavier.  
They stopped kissing and, in an instant, Hiki grabbed Howl by his collar and pressed his forehead against his husband’s chest. It’s Howl’s smell… Hiki thought in a daze. It’s Howl’s hand giving me pleasure… And his smell...and his warmth…  
“Howl… Kh… Ngh… I-I’m gonna co-... AAH!” Hiki jolted and shivered as he came in Howl’s big, warm hand. Hiki lost all his strength after Howl coaxed ribbon after ribbon of cum from his cock, slumping against his husband with a low groan.  
“Hikkun, are you okay?” Howl asked softly as he released Hiki’s cock from his grip.  
“Hah… haah… Mh, yeah, I’m okay... I love you, Howl. So, so much,” he huffed.  
“I love you too, Hikkun.”  
“Oh, no... Wait. I got your hand dirty. Here. Wipe it,” Hiki said, reaching for some toilet paper and handing it to Howl.  
“It’s okay. You came a lot. It’s been a while for you, huh? Around two or three weeks, maybe?” Howl wondered while wiping his hand.  
“Well, actually… I couldn’t hold back and… kinda… jerked off once when you were away,” Hiki mumbled.  
Howl leaned over until his lips were brushed against Hiki’s ear and whispered, “Well, I hope you were thinking of me when you did it.”  
“I-Idiot! Stupid old man!” Hiki yelled and pushed him away. “......Of… Of course I did,” he confessed, looking down shyly.  
Howl chuckled. “Well then, my sweet Hiki, you should get ready. We’re going to have breakfast soon. Hiroki and Sophie ordered in. I’m gonna call Kinsley and see if everything’s all right at the office,” Howl said as he got up to wash his hands properly.  
“Howl…” Hiki said hesitantly.  
“Yeah?” Howl asked. He dried his hands, looked at Hiki, and noticed that his husband looked sad. “What’s wrong, Hikkun?”  
“Howl, um… You know…since you were avoiding physical contact until now, I thought… Ever since that day, I thought…you might think…I’m dirty now because of what Fujimura did to me. That I’m…disgusting,” Hiki said while looking down.  
Howl was startled. He knelt down and pushed up Hiki’s chin with his hand so that he could look him straight in the eye. “Hikkun, I never thought that. You’re not dirty. You’re my Hiki. You’re the most wonderful and amazing person I know. Words cannot express how much I love you. What happened wasn’t your fault. The only one who’s disgusting here is Fujimura!” Howl said and embraced him.  
Hiki wrapped his arms around his husband and felt something in his chest loosen. He wanted to stay like this forever. “I love you Howl. So, so much. I’m sorry for thinking that.”  
They stayed like that for a few minutes. Then, Howl reminded both of them, “Hikkun, let’s get ready. The others will worry.” He released Hiki from his arms and got up.  
“You’re right,” Hiki agreed.  
Howl helped his husband up, kissed him on the lips, left another kiss on his forehead, and smiled at him before leaving the bathroom.  
Hiki felt refreshed and so happy. He took a look into the mirror. “Wow… My face is glowing. How embarrassing,” he said to himself before turning the knob and began washing himself. He wanted to take a shower, but so much time had passed already and he wanted to hurry up and join the others downstairs.  
When he was done in the bathroom, he went back to the bedroom and got dressed. On his way to the staircase, he noticed that the window at the other side of the hallway was open. It was the beginning of fall, but the weather could turn cold pretty fast. It got a bit chilly in the hallway, so he decided to close the window.  
After he had done so, he looked outside into their backyard. It was a huge property adjacent to a forest. Howl wanted to build a fence around it because there was the occasional visit from forest animals, but after Hiki had seen a deer and its fawn walking through their yard, he begged Howl not to put up a fence.  
Suddenly, he realized that they didn’t have the chance to get everything winterproof yet. The chairs and tables must be moved to the basement, the big wooden sitting area needed to be covered, the flowerbeds needed to be prepared as well… A lot of work.  
Oh, and we need to let the water out of the pool too, Hiki thought. He looked at the pool, which was close to the house, and noticed that the pool cover had been thrown off. Yesterday’s storm must have been really strong.  
Hiki sighed. He had to let Howl know so that he could fix it later.  
“Huh? What’s that?”  
Hiki noticed something. A small, black something was inside the pool…and it was moving…  
A bird! A bird had fallen into the pool and was now struggling to get out.  
Hiki gasped. He rushed downstairs without thinking twice. He needed to get that bird out of the pool quickly. He didn’t even notice the commotion and loud noises of his family cleaning the kitchen. He ran past the living room over to the back door that led to the yard. When he got to the pool, he grabbed a net and fished for the bird.  
“Gotcha!”  
Hiki was happy. He didn’t want to touch the bird because he didn’t want to scare it even more, so he left it in the net and brought it to the border of the forest. He thought it would be safer to be close to the bushes and trees than on the open grass since it was probably tired and needed to rest a little.  
He put the net and the bird down. The bird, after a while, jumped out and dashed into the bushes.  
“There you go, little fella,” Hiki said with a smile. “Ugh, cold.” He noticed that he had forgotten to put on a coat. He shivered, wanting to get back to the house.  
“Hello there, Hikaru-kun.”  
Hiki knew that voice. His heart stopped for a moment and he was unable to turn around.  
“Haven’t seen you in a while. Well, actually, it’s only been a week, right?”  
Hiki turned around slowly, his heart in his throat. Fujimura was standing in front of him, pointing a big knife at him. He couldn’t believe his eyes. “F-Fujimura...san... W-What are you doing here? What do you want?” Hiki asked, trying to stay calm. He wasn’t drunk and defenseless this time, and his family was only a few meters away.  
This time, things were different.  
“What do I want? I’ll tell you what I want!” Fujimura hissed. “After your damn husband demolished my face, I stayed at home for two days thinking about you and about what I should do. I came to the conclusion that you should be mine, so first thing I did on Monday was look for a new place outside of the city where no one would bother us and where no one could find us. I actually found the perfect location -- you’ll love it there. It’s in the mountains. No one to disturb us. I wanted to get you right away, but I had to be patient. So I waited in front of your building, but then you drove away with him. I followed you for a while until I realized that you were moving to the house. Of course I know about this place. I was that guy’s assistant, after all. I waited until I could catch you alone. I almost got you yesterday, but then that damn dog showed up. But today… Today’s my lucky day,” Fujimura said with an evil grin.  
“You're insane.” Hiki shuddered. “I’m obviously not going with you!”  
“I might be, but I won't give you up so easily. I’m gonna make you mine and mine alone. You will learn to accept me; trust me...” Fujimura raised the knife and pointed it at Hiki's face. He touched Hiki’s cheek with the blade and let it slide down to his throat. “You're gonna come with me or I’m gonna kill you right here, right now. If I can't have you, no one can!” he hissed. NOW! Hiki thought.  
He moved fast, grabbed Fujimura’s wrist and punched the back of his hand with the heel of his hand so that Fujimura opened his hand in a reflex and dropped the knife. Then, Hiki turned and twisted his arm.  
Fujimura went down with a loud thud and a pained expression on his face. Hiki froze for a second, shocked at his own strength, but he came to his senses quickly and kicked the knife away before running towards the house. It was only around 50 meters to the door. He could make it, even though his injuries slowed him down.  
But then Hiki felt something heavy on his back pushing him down and he fell on the grass. Fujimura had caught up to him and had tackled him.  
Hiki was struggling as hard as he could. His shoulder and his ribs hurt like hell, but he managed to turn and face Fujimura while lying under him, his attacker towering above him with a wild look on his face.  
This felt too familiar. Hiki was able to free his left arm and he punched Fujimura in the throat. He didn't have much strength left anymore because of his hurting shoulder, but it was enough to make Fujimura gasp and cough.  
Unfortunately, that only made Fujimura angrier.  
“You little shit!” he roared as he went for Hiki's throat. He grabbed it with both hands and began choking him.  
Hiki tried to get out of his grip, but he couldn’t breathe. Fujimura's grip got tighter and tighter. Hiki was getting weaker. His eyes teared up, his head felt like it was going to explode, and he could feel his blood becoming cold. He desperately tried to breathe, but it was impossible.  
This is it. I'm gonna die now, Hiki thought.  
His vision turned black when suddenly one thought crossed his mind.  
It was only for a split second, but he thought of something Howl had said when he proposed to him.  
“Life is meaningless without you. Promise me that you’ll always stay by my side. Please marry me and become mine forever.”  
Hiki had promised to never leave his side. He had promised that to Howl on that day and on their wedding day. He couldn’t just get strangled to death by this lunatic and leave Howl alone.  
No way!  
He gathered every last bit of strength he had and raised his arm. He felt for Fujimura’s face since he couldn’t see anything, put his hand on the side of it, and pressed his thumb into Fujimura’s eye with all his might. The feeling of Fujimura’s eyeball being squished underneath his thumb was disgusting, but it worked.  
Fujimura released his grip around Hiki’s neck and howled.  
Hiki sucked as much air into his lungs as possible as his vision came back into focus.  
Fujimura was lying on the grass, rolling around in pain, covering his eye with his hands. Hiki wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw blood coming out of it. He wanted to call for Howl and the others, but his throat was hurting so much. He started crawling towards the house…  
He had to make it this time!  
“I’m gonna kill you, you son of a bitch!” Fujimura got back on his feet, his eye bloody. He was absolutely furious and, unfortunately, he had found the knife again.  
He was about to attack Hiki with it and, just as Hiki thought that he was going to die for sure now, he saw a white shadow move towards Fujimura’s direction. A loud scream rent the air as Fujimura went down.  
“It’s you!” Hiki said with a hoarse voice.  
Hiki’s saviour was their neighbor’s dog that he had fed the Kobe steak to on the day before.  
The dog was protecting his new friend. He was biting down on Fujimura’s arm with no intention of letting him go.  
Hiki tried to get up.  
“HIKKUN!!!” Howl came running.  
Hiki felt so relieved.  
“Hiki! Are you all right?” Hiroki and Sophie asked as they slammed the door wide open and ran towards him.  
Howl knelt before Hiki and helped him sit up. He took Hiki's face with his hands, his eyes wild and his breathing erratic. “Hiki! Are you okay? Hiroki, call an ambulance!”  
Hiki wasn't able to talk. His throat hurt like crazy.  
“And the police!” Sophie added. “I'm gonna tie this bastard up in a nice little asshole package for them. Lend me a hand when you’re done, pretty boy.”  
Sophie and Hiroki tried to calm down the dog who was smart enough to realize that Hiki was safe now, so he let go of Fujimura. He looked over to Hiki one last time and ran off.  
“Hikkun, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”  
Hiki answered Howl’s questions in a silent, husky voice. “He attacked me with a knife. I fought him off at first, but he came after me and strangled me. I was able to fight him off a second time, but then he took the knife and… If it wasn’t for that dog, I…”  
“It's over now, Hikkun. It’s finally over,” Howl promised as he embraced Hiki as tightly as he could without hurting him.  
“Hey, marshmallow,” Sophie said as she came over. “Do you have any wounds? I found a knife in the grass over there.”  
“He’s okay, but that bastard strangled him, so his throat is sore. It’s better if he doesn’t talk too much,” Howl answered for him.  
“Mmh, okay. Oh, an ambulance and the police will arrive here any minute,” she said.

The police arrived and took Fujimura away.  
Hiki had to explain the situation and then they had him and the others come by the station the next day for the official testimony.  
Hiki lied about the dog. He told the police officer that it was just a random stray dog that probably got agitated by Fujimura’s behaviour and attacked him. Hiki didn’t want to trouble the old man and his dog with this.  
The paramedics said Hiki had a contusion of the larynx. A bit painful and his voice would be a little hoarse for a while, but it would heal. They told him that if it got worse, he should go to the hospital. Howl had insisted that they check his older injuries as well just in case, but they said Hiki was alright. He just needed lots of rest.  
Hiki felt completely worn out after they had left the police station, but he wanted to visit Nobunaga-san and his dog to thank them, so they stopped by the supermarket, grabbed some big steaks, and went to meet his furry saviour.  
The old man was very proud of his dog and happy to hear that he had saved Hiki. He was so happy that he invited them to stay for dinner and cooked the best Nabe Hiki had ever eaten.  
On their way home, he felt like he was about to fall asleep while walking. So much excitement in the past two days. It was quite exhausting, both physically and mentally. Howl had offered to carry Hiki home like a princess, but for some reason, he wasn’t really fond of his offer.  
They returned to their home around 9 p.m. Sophie hadn’t arrived yet. Howl had gotten a message from her earlier saying that she was “grabbing a bite with Hiroki”.  
“Ugh, Howl, I’m sooo tired,” Hiki groaned.  
“That’s it. Up you go!” Howl swiped Hiki off his feet and began carrying him upstairs.  
“UWAH! HOWL! What’re you doing? Put me down!”  
“No can do, Hikkun. We’re at home now, so it’s fine for me to carry you upstairs, right?”  
“Jeez. Stubborn old man,” Hiki mumbled and snuggled against his husband’s chest. “You’re warm. Ah, and you smell so good. I love your smell.”  
“What do I smell like?”  
“You smell like...you. Mhh…” Hiki didn’t even last until they arrived at the top of the staircase. He had already fallen asleep.  
Howl smiled lovingly at the sight of his sleeping husband. He looked so peaceful and calm. Howl hadn’t seen him like that in a while.  
He lay Hiki down on their bed, took off his pants and his socks, tucked him in, then laid down next to him. It was the first night in over a week that Hiki didn’t move around restlessly or made distressed sounds in his sleep. Maybe telling a stranger everything that had happened had helped.  
Maybe that’s why religious people go to confessions. Maybe it’s like a spiritual cleansing for the mind and soul, Howl thought. And maybe the fact that Hiki was able to fight back this time was why his mind was at ease now too. He was able to defend himself. And for now, he was safe from Fujimura.  
All these combined counted as Hiki taking the first step towards getting over this traumatic experience and overcoming it one day.  
The police had told them that Fujimura would probably go to jail for a while and, afterwards, there’d be a restraining order so he wouldn’t be allowed to come near Hiki.* (Note: *This is a work of fiction. Real laws don’t apply. Fujimura is gonna go to jail for 6000 years!)  
Despite all these things going around in his head, it didn’t take long for Howl to follow Hiki into the land of dreams.

When Howl woke up the next morning, there was an empty space next to him. As usual, Hiki had gotten up before him to prepare breakfast.  
After getting ready, Howl went to the kitchen where he was greeted by Hiki, Sophie, and Hiroki.  
“Good morning, Howl!” Hiki smiled.  
“Good morning, Hikkun. Good morning, you two,” he replied. “Hm? Aren’t you wearing the same clothes as yesterday?” he asked Hiroki and Sophie bluntly.  
“Well… It got pretty late yesterday, and we didn’t want to drive back here and wake you up, so we stayed at a hotel.” Sophie answered while Hiroki blushed slightly.  
“Could you please stop grinning like a cheshire cat, Hikaru?” he scolded his little brother.  
“Sorry~” Hiki said, still grinning.  
“I see…” Howl wasn’t surprised at all. He had a feeling that there had been something going on from the beginning. And so did Hiki…who was still smiling from ear to ear.  
“Soooo……” Hiki started. “How many kids do you want? Oh, oh! Can I be their godfather?” he teased.  
“Shut up, marshmallow! It’s too early!” Sophie said. “But of course you can be their godfather.”  
“Yay! Thank you, Sophie!” Hiki yelled. “Now let's talk about the names…”  
Hiroki choked on his coffee.  
“Stop being silly. You two are having way too much fun with this.”  
Howl chuckled. Hiki was just too cute when he got excited over the smallest things. And Howl was very happy to see his husband this lively.  
“Now, now, Hikkun and Sophie. You’re scaring poor Hiroki. Let’s set the breakfast table and eat.”  
“Yessir!” they both replied simultaneously which made them laugh. They took some of the dishes to the dining table in the living room.  
Hiroki sighed and Howl patted him on the shoulder.  
“There, there. I know she can be a handful. But, Hiroki-san… If you hurt my sister in any way, you’ll regret it. Got it?” Howl glared at him.  
For a moment, Hiroki wasn’t sure if Howl was serious, but as an older brother, he understood.  
“Got it,” Hiroki replied respectfully.  
Howl laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks for playing along. We both know very well that you could beat me in a split second, but as a brother, it’s my duty to threaten my sister’s boyfriend. Now that that’s settled, let’s go eat,” he said and went to join Hiki and Sophie in the living room.

“Haa… marshmallow, thanks for the great meal!” Sophie sighed as she rubbed her belly.  
The others thanked Hiki as well and they cleaned up the table together.  
“All right, I’ll have to go upstairs and call the office. See you in a bit,” Howl said before leaving them behind in the kitchen.  
“I have to leave now,” Hiroki said a few minutes later. “Now that Fujimura is gone, I have to attend to my usual duties. Plus, my master scolded me because I haven’t been to the dojo in a while.” Hiroki sighed. “Sophie, I should be done around 8 tonight. If you’re free, we could…go out if you like. I can pick you up.”  
“How could I say no to that? I’ll be ready at 8.” Sophie smiled and Hiroki blushed.  
“All right, see you then,” he said and stormed out, flustered.  
“He’s so cute when he gets embarrassed.”  
“I’ve never seen my brother like that. I’m impressed, Sophie.”  
“Why, thank you, marshmallow.”  
They both giggled.  
“So… How about we go to the supermarket? We need groceries, after all,” Sophie said.  
“Yes, that would be-- Oh no…” Hiki, who was just about to walk over to Sophie, trailed off as he felt his knees buckle under him.  
“Hiki, what’s wrong?” Sophie asked and immediately went over to support him.  
“I’m okay. Sorry about that,” Hiki said in a weak voice as Sophie helped him over to the chair. “I felt dizzy all of a sudden. I’m probably just a bit tired.”  
“Hiki, why don’t you go upstairs and take a nap before we head out?”  
“Howl is on the computer in the bedroom.”  
“The sofa it is then,” Sophie decided. “No objections!”  
Hiki gave in and laid down on the big, comfortable couch in the living room. Sophie covered him with a warm and cozy blanket so he wouldn’t catch a cold.  
“Thank you, Sophie,” Hiki mumbled and promptly fell asleep.  
Sophie frowned. Hiki was beyond exhausted.  
“Okay, so everything is alright at the office. Kinsley is worth his weight in gold,” Howl said as he came downstairs.  
“Shhhht! Hiki just fell asleep,” she whispered before moving them both to the kitchen.  
“He’s asleep? It’s not even noon… That’s unusual. Is he alright? Did he say anything?”  
“He looked like he was about to collapse. And he’s pale. He said that he felt tired.”  
“No wonder. He’s completely burned out. With everything that happened… Maybe now that all the tension of the past week is gone and everything is over, his body is finally able to rest. He also tends to overdo things. Maybe he couldn’t relax completely before because then he’d be left with his thoughts. It makes sense that he kept himself busy,” Howl pondered. “He needs a break. He has to rest properly, but he can’t do that here.” He was silent for a moment before he said, “Sophie, I’m gonna go upstairs for a while. I have to do something.”  
“All right. I’m gonna head to the market and get some groceries,” Sophie replied.

When Hiki woke up, he still felt sore and tired. What’s this all of a sudden? he thought. He felt fine this morning. Pull yourself together, me! He sat up and looked around, but found no one.  
“Ah Hikkun, you’re awake! Perfect.” Howl came down the stairs.  
“Yeah, I just woke up.” Hiki smiled. “Where’s Sophie?”  
“She’s getting some groceries. Anyway, Hikkun, listen. We’re gonna go on a trip.”  
“A-A trip?” Hiki was still a bit drowsy. “What trip? Where to? And why?”  
“You’re exhausted, Hikkun. Your body started showing severe signs of fatigue today and I won’t wait until it gets worse. You need to rest. You need a vacation. We’re going to visit an onsen.”  
“Wah! An onsen? Really?” Hiki was practically jumping with excitement.  
“Yes. We’re going to Akita, to that onsen I was with that client back then. While I was there, I thought about how much you’d love it there. It’s in the middle of the woods, so we’re surrounded by mountains. The scenery is amazing, and the people are very kind. I just booked their best Honeymoon suite and the plane tickets. We’re leaving tomorrow. No objections.”  
Hiki couldn’t believe what Howl had just announced. Hiki had never been to an onsen before, but he had always wanted to go. He thought his heart would burst from joy. “Howl, I’m so happy! Thank you!” he said before hugging his husband.  
“I think we can both use some alone time,” Howl said with a deep voice and returned Hiki’s hug.  
Hiki blushed. Did Howl just imply that…  
Now Hiki was even more excited.  
“We should start packing. I already told Kinsley. He wasn’t amused, but he’s gonna deal with it. It’s only for two weeks, after all.”  
“Two weeks? Oh my. We have to make up for troubling him so much, Howl. When we get back to Tokyo, we should invite him and his wife over for dinner.”  
“We’ll do that. He’s also gonna get a raise. I want to show him how much I appreciate him.”  
“Howl, you’re the best. I’d love to have you as my boss.” Hiki loosened his grip around Howl a bit and gave him a wide smile.  
“I already am your boss. I’m your husband. That’s basically the same.”  
“Ha! You wish! The truth is that I’m the one wearing the pants here. I’m just good at making you believe that you are ‘the boss’. Hehehe,” he teased Howl.  
“Well, I’m okay with that. Because there’s one scenario where neither one of us is wearing any pants and I’m still the boss.” Howl grinned.  
“Pervert!” Hiki said and pushed Howl away, who immediately grabbed him, pulled him back, and kissed him. Hiki blushed. “Don’t start what you can’t finish,” he whispered.  
“You’re right,” Howl replied. “Sophie will be back soon. I already told her that we’re leaving and that she can stay here for as long as she wants to. She originally wanted to stay until Friday, but she already asked her master for a few more days off.”  
“Ohh, that’s because she started dating Aniki! They’re perfect for each other.” Hiki sighed. “But she lives in Osaka. It’ll be hard for them.”  
“They’ll make it work, I’m sure.”  
Hiki smiled.  
*BATAM*  
The sound of the entrance door shutting interrupted their conversation.  
“We will. It’s only an hour away by plane. But I always wanted my own dojo, so maybe I’ll just move here,” Sophie said with a grin. She had returned from the supermarket and overheard their conversation.  
“See, Howl? Problem solved!” Hiki giggled.  
“But jokes aside, marshmallow, I really like your brother. And, if he feels the same, I would like to make this work.” She smiled. “Well then, shouldn’t you two be packing? I’ll go and put the groceries away. I didn’t buy that much since it’ll only be me staying here. My master allowed me to stay for one more week, but this will be our last night together for now. So let’s have Kobe for dinner, shall we? This time, Hiki will have his own.” She grinned. “I also told Hiroki and Hajime to come over.”  
“But Sophie, didn’t you want to go on a date?” Hiki asked.  
“We will. We’ll just leave a little later and go for a drink instead of dinner. So you two go and start packing already. See you in a bit,” Sophie said and went outside to get the rest of the groceries.  
Hiki was so happy, he couldn’t find the words to express himself. After all the bad things that happened, good things started to pile up.  
“Sunshine comes after rain after all, huh…” Hiki mumbled as he and Howl went upstairs to pack.  
“Did you say something, Hikkun?” Howl asked.  
“No, it’s nothing,” Hiki replied.  
After they finished packing, Hiki felt a bit tired again. Howl noticed that he had gotten pale and ordered him to rest for a while. Hiki did so, but since he didn’t want to sleep, he took his phone and wrote an email to his childhood friend Kaito. They were very close friends, but Hiki hadn’t had the chance to talk to him in a while, because he was overseas on vacation and Hiki had been kinda…”busy” too. So he used the opportunity to get in touch with him.  
Howl went downstairs to prepare dinner. He allowed Sophie to help him since nothing would end up in chaos if she wasn’t in charge. Apart from one broken plate, everything went well.  
“Jeez, Sophie. You have all kinds of belts and awards in martial arts, but you’re unable to function inside a kitchen. I hope you and Hiroki will hire a chef so your kids won’t starve!” Howl nagged.  
“Nope, we’ll just move close to you and Hiki and come over for the meals every day, haha!” she teased him.  
Right when Howl wanted to answer, the doorbell rang.  
It was Hiroki and Hajime.  
“Hello, Howl-nii! It’s been a while!” Hajime greeted him.  
“It’s Sunday. You were here on Thursday. It hasn’t even been three days,” Howl replied.  
“Jeez, Howl-nii, don’t be so grumpy. Aren’t you happy that it’s over now and everyone can relax? So relax!” He smiled. “Where’s Nii-chan?”  
“He’s in bed. You can go and tell him that dinner will be ready s-”  
“On my way!” Hajime dashed upstairs.  
“He’s too lively. He’s even livelier than usual,” Howl grumbled.  
“He is. He’s happy that you two are safe now,” Hiroki replied.  
“Safe, yes. But at the trial, Hiki will have to relive that night again in front of the whole court. That won’t be easy for him. But I will do my best to help him through that as well.”  
Hiroki smiled. “You two have a really strong bond. It’s good to know that my little brother can always rely on you.”  
“I can always rely on him as well. Whenever I’m overworked and burned out, he takes care of me. I’m lucky to have him. Anyway, I should go back to the kitchen. Take a seat and make yourself at home,” Howl said and returned to the kitchen.  
Just when Hiroki sat down on the couch, Sophie walked in. He immediately got up again and greeted her.  
“Hey, pretty boy,” she greeted. “You’re looking as sharp as ever tonight.”  
“You look beautiful as well…” Hiroki blushed a little. He wasn’t used to flirting, so he felt really awkward doing so, and he probably sucked at it.  
“Oh, you mean this big stain of tomato sauce here? I know, right? It suits my eyes.” She laughed. “You’re cute. I’m gonna go upstairs and change real quick,” she said and walked past Hiroki. When she had almost arrived at the staircase, she stopped, turned around, walked back to Hiroki, kissed him on the cheek, and left him gaping after her.  
This woman is like a hurricane, he thought, and smiled fondly.  
Shortly after, Hiki and Hajime came down, followed by Sophie, and they all gathered around the dining table. They had a great meal, everyone praising Howl’s cooking the whole time. Hiki thought it was really cute how proud Howl was.  
Hajime was in the middle of telling a story about the time a squirrel had accidentally gotten into their house and all the big, bad Yakuza guys were running around like a bunch of madmen trying to catch it, when Hiki’s phone started ringing.  
“Ah, I’m sorry!” He took the phone out of his pocket, looked at the display, and froze.  
“Hikkun, what’s wrong? Who is it?” Howl asked.  
“I-It’s our father…”  
“You should answer, Hikaru,” Hiroki said.  
“Yeah. Excuse me.” Hiki got up and went upstairs, answering the call along the way. “Hello, Father.” Hiki walked over to the big sitting area at the end of the hallway and sat down.  
“Hikaru, how are you? It’s been a while. I’m sorry about that.”  
To hear his father’s deep and steady voice after such a long time made Hiki realize how much he had missed him. “It’s okay, Father. I know you’re very busy.”  
“That shouldn’t be a reason not to call you from time to time, though. But tell me, son. How are you doing? Your brothers and Howl have kept me updated, but I want to hear it directly from you.”  
“I’m alright. Wounds heal. I’ve been in fights with my cousins when I was little all the time, remember? I can take it.” He laughed nervously. He was so glad that his father didn’t know the details of what happened -- of the attempted rape. Howl had assured Hiki that he hadn’t told his dad about that.  
“I’ve seen both the hospital and the police reports. What you’ve experienced recently can’t be compared to some kids play, but I’m glad to hear that you’re taking it well. How’s college? I know that your grades are excellent, but are you enjoying yourself?”  
“Yeah, I am. But instead of becoming a university teacher, I want to become a kindergarten teacher. I think it would be a lot of fun to teach the younger ones.” Hiki had been thinking about this for a long time now, but this was the first time he had said it out loud.  
“A kindergarten teacher? Don’t be silly. Choosing a job shouldn’t be about ‘fun’. You can’t work yourself up from a simple kindergarten teacher. You can’t make a career out of that. It has no future.”  
“But shouldn’t a job be something that fulfills you?”  
“Hikaru, stop being so naive. Your grades are really good. Get a real job. You should stand by your choice to become a university teacher and push through. You’re not a kid anymore.”  
This was exactly the reaction Hiki had expected. “Yeah, you’re right,” he agreed tonelessly. It wouldn’t do any good to start a fight with his father now. “How is Mother doing?” he asked to change the topic.  
“Hikaru, I’m sorry, but I have to go. I’m being called to an incident. I will call you again soon.” With that, his father hung up. Hiki didn’t even have the chance to say goodbye.  
He sighed and leaned back. He felt tired again.  
“Hikkun, are you okay? Are you done with your call?”  
“Ah, Howl. Yeah, we’re done talking.” He smiled half-heartedly at his husband.  
“How was it?”  
“Well… I’m happy that he called me despite being so busy.”  
“Yeah, that’s nice of him...Hikkun, I’m sorry, but…I came here to look after you and I accidentally overheard part of what you said. About what you wanted to do…”  
“Oh yeah… That. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. I just wasn’t ready to talk about it. I wanted to be sure. My father was kind of a...test subject. I got the reaction I expected, though. He’s against it.” Hiki sighed again. “You know, I just want to do something that makes me happy.”  
“You think teaching at a university won’t make you happy?”  
“It’s not that it won’t, but…I don’t think that it’s the right path for me. I would like to do something creative and exciting… And I really love kids.”  
“And kids are crazy about you. I’ve witnessed that several times. I remember when we found that little girl at the mall who had lost her mom in the crowd. She was crying so hard and no one was able to calm her down, but after you picked her up and talked to her, she immediately stopped crying. You’re great with kids. And I think you should give it a shot. Do what makes you happy. You only have this one life, you should live it the way you want to.” Howl smiled at him encouragingly.  
Hiki felt much better now, knowing Howl would support him. “Thank you. I… I’ll think about it. I’m sorry for not telling you, Howl.”  
“You weren’t ready to talk about it yet. It’s okay. You have to be sure of something before you tell others about your plans. But know this -- I will always support you, Hikkun. No matter what, I got your back.”  
Hiki’s heart skipped a beat at his husband’s declaration. “Thank you, Howl. That’s all I need.” He smiled brightly, got up, and hugged his husband.  
Howl placed a kiss on Hiki’s head and they joined the others after a moment. A little later, Hiroki and Sophie left for their date and they took Hajime with them to drop him off at home. Hiki was a bit sad since he didn’t know when he’d have the chance to see them again.  
Since he and Howl had to get up around 7 in the morning for their trip, they went straight to bed after cleaning up.

It was Monday morning and Hiki was wide awake an hour before his alarm was supposed to go off. He was too excited to sleep. He was up and ready to leave while Howl was still sound asleep. He had even prepared bento for their drive to the airport. It was a short flight, so there wouldn’t be a meal included.  
Hiki had turned off his alarm so he could wake his husband up himself. At 7 a.m., he sat down on the bed right next to Howl with a big cup of hot coffee in his hand. He put it on the bedside table, leaned over his husband, ran his fingers through Howl’s blond hair, kissed him on the cheek, and said to him in a soft voice, “Howl, it’s time... You have to get up. We have to leave in an hour.”  
But Howl didn’t move an inch.  
“Howl? Wake up. Howl.”  
Still no reaction from his husband.  
“Howl-- WAH!”  
Howl grabbed Hiki, pulled him towards him, and pinned him down with a deep chuckle.  
“Howl! That scared me! And you were already awake?!”  
“I was, but your way of waking me up is just too cute. I didn’t want to ruin it.” He grinned down at Hiki, bent down, and started kissing Hiki’s neck.  
“NGH! No! Howl, stop! You have to get ready. We don’t have time for this. We’ll miss our flight!” Hiki begged.  
Howl stopped kissing him, sighed, and released his husband reluctantly. “You’re no fun,” he said with a pout. “The bruises on your neck got a bit worse, huh?”  
“Oh… Yeah. The paramedics mentioned that they’d be more visible a few days after. They will fade soon, though. I’ll be wearing a scarf, so no one will see them,” Hiki said while getting up and rearranging his clothes. “Now get up, old man. Hurry!”  
Howl did as he’d been told and went to the bathroom.  
“That man is just incorrigible,” Hiki sighed.  
Shortly after, Howl was ready and they left for their trip to Akita.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to Camry and Ioana! You guys are awesome af!


	14. With you by my side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the last Chapter. The grand finale ^^  
> I want to thank you all for reading this story. There is more to come and I hope to see you in the next fic :)
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you to Ioana and Camry for your help. You are the best!!!

Not only was it going to be Hiki’s first time visiting an onsen, it was also his first flight in a while. He was so excited that he was practically bouncing on his chair all the way to Akita.  
Howl didn’t tell him to calm down. Instead, he watched his husband the whole time with a smile. He loved seeing his Hiki like this.  
It was only a one-hour flight. From the airport, they took a taxi to their destination. Their home for the following days was a traditional ryokan and a modern hotel combined seamlessly into one.  
They entered the lobby and walked over to the reception area to check in. Howl nodded to the receptionist and greeted, “Hello. My name is Harada Howl. I booked the honeymoon suite for me and my husband.”  
Hiki blushed at Howl’s words, still not used to how straightforward Howl was. What would these people think? On the other hand, Howl and Hiki had never kept their relationship a secret from other people.  
When they first started dating, Howl had told Hiki that he had no intention of ever hiding who he loves and who he is. At the beginning, his sexual orientation had caused him quite a number of prospective clients, even more so when they had announced their marriage. But throughout it all, Howl just shrugged and said that he wouldn’t want to work with people like them anyway, so good riddance.  
Hiki admired that about Howl, and it turned out to be quite a booster for his own self confidence.  
“People will judge you no matter what. They will find a reason to hate on you, so just live the life you want,” was what he said.  
After the receptionist confirmed their reservation and had them fill out a number of forms, the bell attendant brought them directly to their room. After opening the door to their room and showing them in, he said, “We will serve lunch in about two hours. You can go to our restaurant or we can bring it to your room, if you’d like.”  
“Thank you very much. We’d like to have lunch in our room, please. Just bring us one plate of everything you have,” Howl answered.  
“Very well.” He bowed and left them at that.  
The room had a basic interior. It was bright with wooden elements interspersed here and there. Big glass doors led to their private outdoor bath. The spacious living room had a comfortable-looking sofa, a dining area, as well as traditional japanese furniture, like...  
“Howl, look! A kotatsu! I’ve always wanted one! This room is so pretty! It’s modern-meets-traditional! Everything's perfectly balanced. I love it here!” Hiki gushed, his eyes sparkling. A kotatsu, huh, Howl thought. That would probably make a good birthday gift.  
“Wait ‘til you see the bathroom…and the bedroom,” Howl said with a grin.  
But Hiki didn’t hear the last part. He had already dashed towards the bathroom, Howl trailing after him.  
“WOAAAA!!! Howl!” Hiki froze.  
The bathroom was the same size as their room. Right in the middle of it was a detached bathtub big enough for at least three people. The bathroom only had three walls and no roof. The outside wall and the roof had been replaced with glass, giving an alfresco feeling, as well as an unfettered view on the stunning scenery. Beyond that was nothing but nature. Woods, hills…  
Hiki noticed that there was also a more private area with a big shower, and a toilet was in a separate room.  
Hiki was speechless.  
“Do you like it, Hikkun?” Howl asked. He stepped closer to Hiki and embraced him from behind, his chin resting on Hiki's head, while they marveled at the view.  
Hiki touched Howl’s arms. “It’s amazing. Thank you for taking me here,” Hiki said.  
“Now let me show you the bedroom,” Howl said in a seductive voice, tightening his hold around Hiki.  
“That's a great idea,” Hiki replied in a husky voice. “Please show me the bedroom, Howl…… I could really use a big ‘ol nap.”  
“Ngh! Hikkun, you're so cruel!” Howl whined.  
“And you're an old lech,” Hiki teased him.  
“But you're right. You must be tired. Let's take a nap and then we'll have lunch.”  
Hiki was really tired. Although he would've loved to do naughty things with his husband, he probably wouldn't have enjoyed it as much.  
They moved to the bedroom and Hiki fell in love with the enormous king sized bed. The room, just like the rest of the suite, was bright and modern with just the right touch of traditional. The bed was located at the very center. The white sheets made it look like a big, fluffy cloud.  
Hiki immediately went to it. “Waaahhhh... Howl, it's so soft! I wanna stay here forever ~” he announced.  
“I knew you'd love it,” Howl chuckled. He laid down on his side and motioned for Hiki to get closer.  
Hiki followed Howl’s gesture and moved, butt first, towards him bit by bit.  
“Ahhh, Hikkun, you're such a tease,” Howl moaned before grabbing Hiki and pulling him in.  
“Wah! Howl! It’s not my fault the bed’s so big,” he giggled.  
“Mhhhh,” Howl grumbled while nuzzling his head. “So fluffy.” Howl felt so relaxed with Hiki in his arms that he fell asleep immediately.  
Hiki giggled softly. Seemed like he wasn’t the only one who needed a vacation, he thought to himself as he nodded off too.

Someone knocked on the door.  
“Room service!”  
Howl and Hiki woke up at the same time.  
“Oh, we slept for too long!” Hiki noticed. “It’s lunch time already.”  
Howl got up and went to open the door. The waiter brought in two service carts with several covered plates.  
“Thank you. We’ll take care of the rest,” Howl said.  
“Very well.” The waiter bowed and left them alone.  
“Oh, Howl, there’s so much! This is just for the two of us?” Hiki asked, astonished by the amount of dishes on the carts.  
“I wanted you to try a little of everything they had to offer. We have miso soup, beef, chicken, rice, vegetables, noodles…” Howl listed as he uncovered the plates one by one.  
“Wow! Everything looks and smells so good!”  
“Go take a seat, Hikkun. You’re not allowed to do anything.”  
“Thank you,” Hiki said with a smile. “It’s nice to enjoy food others have cooked from time to time. Hehe.”  
Howl arranged everything on the table and then they started eating.  
Hiki kept praising the food, digging in like there was no tomorrow. He thoroughly enjoyed their meal.  
Howl had a blast watching him. “Hikkun, how about we take a bath together after we’re done eating?”  
“Mfnmm phn mnh?” Hiki replied with a worried expression on his face.  
“No, not in the public onsen. I assumed you wouldn’t want to be around too many people with all your bruises. That’s why I booked a honeymoon suite with a private outdoor bath. But we also have that big bathtub… Let’s try that one first. What do you think?”  
Hiki loved how Howl was being so considerate. Hiki was so excited to come here that he didn’t even think about him being naked around other people, but he was really glad that Howl did. He wouldn’t want strangers to see him like this.  
But still… “The bathtub? B-But, what if people walk by outside? Won’t they be able to see us?” He blushed at the thought and started picking at his food nervously.  
“There is no road or sidewalk outside. We’re at the border of the forest and there’s nothing but wilderness in front of our room. It’s a densely forested area, so no one would roam around outside. Don’t worry,” Howl reassured him.  
“O-Okay.” For some reason, Hiki felt really nervous all of a sudden. A bath with Howl… They had never done that before.  
Hiki was too nervous to continue eating and Howl was done as well. Although Howl had told Hiki to leave the plates on the table, Hiki insisted on putting everything back on the service cart neatly to make the waiter’s job a bit easier.  
“Do you want to rest for a bit? Or should we hit the shower now?” Howl asked.  
“We had a three hour nap earlier, so I’m fine.” Hiki smiled. “Oh, wait…” Suddenly, his phone started buzzing. He checked it. “You can go ahead. I just got an email from my professor. I’ll be there in a minute.”  
“All right. See you in a minute.”  
While Howl undressed and got the bath ready, Hiki checked his professor’s mail. She had given her permission for Hiki to retake the exams, letting Hiki breathe out a sigh of relief. He had requested that a few days prior. He still wasn’t feeling too well and he was too exhausted to even think of studying right now.  
Howl was right. He really needed a break.  
He sat down, wrote his reply, and put the appointment for his exams into his calendar app. “December fourteenth… All right.” That was enough time for him to study everything he needed to study for the exam. But he would still have to work extra hard if he wanted to pass with a decent grade.  
Hiki was an A-grade student and ranked quite high at T-University’s list of students. That didn’t come from nothing. In the end, it was even a bit convenient that he had lost his job. Now, he’d have more time for his studies.  
Hiki sighed. His life was so organized before. Many things had changed since then and some parts of his life had been thrown into turmoil. Has he changed as well, he wondered.  
He snapped out of his thoughts and followed Howl into the shower. Suddenly, Hiki’s heart skipped a beat. Howl and him…naked.  
“Dammit, stop beating so fast!” he told his heart, but it didn’t listen.  
Hiki walked over to the bathroom, his level of excitement and tension increasing with every step. He opened the door to the bathroom slowly. There was a little vestibule where one could get undressed before entering the main bathroom. Hiki took off his clothes, feeling like his heart was going to jump out of his chest.  
“Calm down,” he told himself. “We’ve seen each other naked countless times before. Jeez.”  
But it would be their first time bathing together and Howl hadn’t seen Hiki in this state yet.  
Hiki stared at his reflection in the big mirror in front of him. He was badly bruised everywhere. It wasn’t exactly an erotic sight. There was that one incident where Howl wanted to bring Hiki some towels when they were still in Tokyo and, when Howl saw Hiki’s upper body, he stopped at the sight of his bruises, each ranging from light blue to dark blue to purple.  
These bruises were spread all over Hiki’s body. The worst ones were on his shoulder, his ribs, his stomach, and on his throat. But there were some lighter ones on his wrists, all over his arms and legs, and…on his butt.  
Looking at the bruises automatically made Hiki recall how he got them. The memories were still pretty fresh. Would they fade like the bruises given enough time?  
“Hikkun, are you there?” Howl’s echoing voice pulled him from his thoughts.  
“Y-Yeah. Coming.” He took a deep breath and entered the steamy bathroom. He walked over to the shower area and opened the glass door.  
“Hikkun, your face is glowing.” Howl smiled at him while rinsing the soap off his body.  
Hiki swallowed. This sight… Howl naked and wet… Calm down, he told himself.  
“Come in. What are you waiting for? I’ll soap your back.” Howl extended his hand for Hiki to take.  
Hiki took it and joined his husband in the shower. The hot water felt so good that Hiki unconsciously let out a tiny moan. Suddenly, Howl’s big hands touched his back. Hiki jolted.  
“Oh! I’m sorry. Was that too sudden?” Howl asked.  
“No, it’s fine. Please continue. Are you done showering already?”  
“Yeah, I just finished. Now I can focus on you and I’m gonna scrub you ‘til you’re squeaky clean.”  
“What?” Hiki laughed. “You’re so silly.” He bumped his elbow into Howl’s ribs.  
“Ah, you’re not that tense anymore. Good.”  
“You noticed?” Hiki felt embarrassed.  
“Of course I noticed. You were stiff as a board. Are you scared? If you feel uncomfortable, we can-” Howl slowly withdrew his hands from Hiki’s back.  
“No! I’m not scared and I don’t feel uncomfortable. It’s just that…we’ve never done this before, so...of course I’m nervous. Also…my body looks so ugly right now with all these bruises.” Hiki was looking down while washing himself, feeling awkward. Suddenly, he felt Howl’s hands on his back again; caressing him gently and lovingly.  
“Hikkun…” Howl kissed Hiki on the head and spoke into his ear in that certain tone Hiki loved so much. “Don’t worry about it too much. You’re not ugly at all. Your skin is flawless. It’s so smooth. I never want to take my hands off of you. You’re slender, but your body is defined. It’s beautiful. Your face is beautiful, too… I hate it when other people stare at you. I want to be the only one who's allowed to look at you. And you know what? On the inside, you’re even more beautiful. You’re my Hiki. In my eyes you’re perfect and that will never change.” Howl kissed his neck and moved closer until he was embracing Hiki from behind.  
Hiki could feel Howl’s wet skin against his. It felt slippery but good at the same time. Hiki turned his head and looked up to Howl with teary eyes. “Thank you, Howl. I love you so much,” he whispered.  
Howl kissed him tenderly. He loosened his grip around Hiki and turned him around so that they could face each other. Their tongues entwined and their kiss became more passionate, their wet bodies grinding against each other. Howl pushed Hiki against the shower wall, his left hand moving to Hiki’s stomach and then up to his chest.  
“Ngh! Ah…” Hiki moaned as Howl rubbed his nipple.  
“Hikkun…” Howl breathed against Hiki’s lips, “You have goosebumps all over your body. Are you feeling it that much already? You’re so cute.”  
“Shut up and kiss me,” Hiki ordered him.  
“As you wish,” Howl said with a dark chuckle and continued to kiss his husband.  
“More!!” Hiki moaned into his mouth. “Howl, please. I want more! I want you…”  
“Hikkun, are you sure? We can take our time.”  
“Tell that to my boner. Let’s see if that’ll work,” Hiki grumbled, pointing at his very excited dick.  
Howl could understand Hiki’s predicament very well as he was in a similar state. He chuckled. “All right, but let’s go to bed. We can’t do it here.”  
“Okay. Let’s go,” Hiki agreed.  
Finally! Finally, he would be one with Howl again!  
They got out of the shower and dried themselves a bit. Howl grabbed Hiki’s hand and dragged him towards the bedroom. As soon as they entered the room, they started kissing each other. They exchanged passionate, wet, hot kisses, Howl pushing Hiki back towards the bed until they fell on it.  
Howl towered over his husband. He took Hiki’s hands, placed them above his husband’s head and pinned them down. Then, they continued kissing while Howl caressed Hiki’s stomach and chest with his other hand.  
Hiki shuddered, letting out tiny, sweet moans into Howl’s mouth.  
Howl teased Hiki’s nipples with his fingers before removing his lips from his husband’s and moving down so that he could lick Hiki’s nipples.  
“Hngh… Ah…” Hiki panted.  
“You’re really feeling it today. You’re a mess already,” Howl said in a raspy voice as he continued to suck and kiss Hiki’s nipples while his hand moved down. “You’re so wet, Hikkun. Your reactions are so intense.”  
“Ngh! S-Stop saying embarrassing things,” Hiki huffed.  
“You’re telling me to stop, but you’re twitching like crazy down here,” Howl said as his fingers slid along Hiki’s hard cock and coaxing precum from his manhood. Howl started playing with it even more.  
“AH! No... Don’t touch there! I’m gonna c-- Ah!”  
Howl continued to tease his beloved. “What? You’re gonna cum? Be my guest. Cum as much as you want.” With that, Howl grabbed his husband’s cock and started pumping.  
“NO! HOWL, STOP!” Hiki struggled underneath him.  
“What’s wrong?” Howl asked and released his hold on Hiki.  
“I don’t want to cum like this today. I want to cum with you inside me. I want us to cum together. Please let go of my…ngh” Hiki begged.  
Howl smiled fondly. “All right, Hikkun,” he said gently. “In that case, excuse me for a second.” Howl got up and walked over to their suitcase.  
Hiki sat up and watched his husband. “What are you doing?” he asked, confused.  
“Well, I was going to use your cum as lube, but since that’s not an option anymore, I’ll have to find the real lube,” Howl said.  
“Oh…” Hiki blushed.  
Howl was rummaging around in their luggage when he suddenly said, “Ah! Found it. Now, where were we?” He crawled over to Hiki and knelt right next to him.  
“Sorry for ruining the mood,” Hiki pouted.  
“Ruining the mood? Hmmm… It’s true. I’m not as ‘ready’ as I was earlier,” Howl said while motioning towards his semi-soft cock. “What are you gonna do about it, Hikkun?” Howl thought Hiki was very cute when he pouted, so he wanted to tease him a little.  
Hiki was surprised. He didn’t expect that answer.  
“You better work hard to get it back up,” Howl said with a grin.  
“R-Right.” Hiki got on all fours and moved closer to Howl’s dick. He took it in his hands and placed a kiss on the tip before slowly opening his mouth and licking around it. He let his tongue slide up and down Howl’s shaft and then he took his husband’s cock deep into his mouth.  
“Kh…” Howl hissed. Hiki was very good at giving head. Howl had to focus or he might cum right then and there. Hiki was sucking and licking energetically while pumping his dick with both hands. Howl caressed the back of Hiki’s head.  
When Howl’s dick began to harden fully, Hiki pulled back his foreskin carefully. He focused on the glans now, teasing Howl’s urethra with the tip of his tongue before sucking on it.  
“Kh! Hikkun! Jeez!” Howl gasped, his whole body jerking.  
“Hehe, ferf hoo wite!” (Serves you right!)  
“Tche.” Howl smiled.  
Hiki devoured his husband’s cock and started moving his head up and down while sucking and licking it. It started out slowly at first, but then he began bobbing his head faster and more vigorously.  
Howl’s dick was now fully erect.  
“Hikkun… Enough...” Howl panted.  
Hiki let Howl’s cock go. “Ha! See? I did it. And you got hard fast too!” he said with an impish expression and grinned.  
“You…” Howl chuckled. Hiki was just too cute. “Yeah, you sure did a great job. But now it’s my turn, so please turn around and lay down on your tummy.”  
Hiki laid down, hugging his pillow.  
“Hiki, I don’t want to hurt you, and it’s been a while since we last did it, so bear with me,” Howl said as he caressed Hiki’s thighs, butt, and lower back. His hands slid up and down, switching from using his palms to using only his fingertips and back.  
Hiki shivered. “Ngh…”  
“Hikkun, please spread your legs for me.”  
Hiki shivered again and did as Howl said. He slowly spread his legs.  
“More, Hikkun. Open up for me.”  
Hiki buried his glowing head in the pillow and did as he was told. His heart was pounding.  
“Good boy... You’re so good, Hikkun. And so sexy.” Howl, who was sitting right next to Hiki, now settled himself between his husband’s legs. He took the lube and put some of it in his hand. He kept it there for a moment to warm it up. Then, his wet fingers slid between Hiki’s buttcheeks and Howl started massaging his entrance.  
“Ngh!” Hiki twitched.  
“Are you okay? Was it still too cold?”  
“N-No, I’m okay. Haa…”  
Howl smiled and continued. He slowly pushed one finger inside Hiki.  
“Ah…”  
“You’re so tight, Hikkun. Seems like your body forgot me. Let’s refresh its memory…” Howl added a finger and moved them in and out slowly, twisting them a little at intervals.  
“Ngah… Hnn…” Hiki moaned. The sensation of Howl’s fingers was good, but he was craving for more.  
Howl took his sweet time getting Hiki to open up for him. After a while, he was able to put four fingers inside without effort.  
“Jeez, Howl! It’s enough already. Please! I can’t anymore. Please put it in already!” Hiki begged him, lust and frustration practically oozing out of his skin.  
“I’m at my limit too,” Howl confessed in a soft voice as he moved closer to Hiki, who was still lying on his belly with his legs spread. Howl got on top of him, placed his legs between Hiki’s, leaned on his knees as he placed his hands beside Hiki’s shoulders. “I’m coming in,” he announced and lowered his hips.  
“Howl, I want to see your face...”  
“It will be easier for you like this for now. Once you got used to it, we can change positions. Please endure it like this for a bit.” Howl wanted to keep the toll on Hiki’s body as small as possible.  
Hiki nodded and buried his head into his pillow again.  
Howl’s hips moved down and he began entering Hiki slowly.  
“Ah! Haa, haa! Kh...” Hiki panted underneath him.  
Howl entered his beloved as slowly and as carefully as he could until he was fully sheathed inside. “Hikkun, are you okay?” Howl gasped.  
“Y-Yes… ngh…” Hiki raised his upper body, leaned on his elbows, and looked at Howl. He could feel his husband’s warm chest on his back.  
Howl looked up to see Hiki’s face all red, his eyes filled with tears. Howl was startled. “Hiki? Are you okay? Does it hurt? Should I pull out?”  
“NO! I’m fine! It just…feels so good. You’re inside me. You’re so big and hot. You fill me out completely… I’ve missed you.”  
“Hikkun…”  
Hiki gave Howl a feverish smile and they kissed passionately while Howl started to thrust carefully. Hiki moaned and gasped in between their kisses. Howl slid into him rhythmically and as gently as he could.  
“Hnn, ah! Howl… Ah… You can…move as you like. Ngh... You don’t have to be so careful…” Hiki said after a few minutes.  
“But your body…”  
“It’s fine! I’m okay, so…do it harder!”  
Howl suddenly stopped moving and pulled out.  
“Nkh! ...Eh? What are you d-…”  
Howl leaned over and whispered, “Turn around.”  
The feeling of Howl’s breath on his ear gave Hiki goosebumps. He obeyed instantly and changed his position. Now he was lying on his back, facing Howl. They smiled at each other and Howl grabbed his cock and guided it back inside his husband’s entrance. He started thrusting slowly at first, but then his thrusts became a little rougher.  
“Ah, Howl! So deep…” Hiki huffed.  
Howl nibbled on Hiki’s neck. “Hikkun, you’re so warm and soft inside,” he grunted. He slowed down his movements a little and kissed Hiki, sucking on Hiki’s lips while running his fingers through his husband’s sweaty hair.  
Hiki’s arms were wrapped around Howl’s upper body. The tips of their tongues entangled playfully. Howl’s weight, his warmth, his smell and his taste… Hiki felt overjoyed that he started to cry again. “I love you, Howl. I love you so much.” He smiled.  
“I love you too, my Hiki.”  
They continued exchanging soft but passionate kisses while Howl moved in and out slowly.  
“Kh...Hikkun…I’m sorry, but I’m close.”  
“Me too. Mh…”  
They kissed again.  
“Hold on to me tight now.”  
Hiki nodded and tightened his grip around Howl’s chest as Howl started thrusting faster.  
Howl had tried so hard to be careful, but his husband seemed fine. Hiki was moving his hips with him, so Howl started making love to him even more vigorously.  
“Ah, ah, ngh, AH… Th-There! Yes, right there… Like this!” Hiki moaned as his mind went blank. He could feel Howl’s hot breath on his face. He was so close and his thrusts were so deep that he hit Hiki’s spot continuously. He felt hot and tingly all over. He could tell that Howl was ready to cum, so he let go and they both climaxed together.  
A few moments passed with both of them breathing heavily. They stayed in that position without moving so they were able to catch their breath.  
Then, Howl pulled out slowly and slumped down next to his smiling husband, happiness ricocheting back and forth between the two.  
“Haa… Howl… That was awesome,” Hiki huffed and snuggled against him. “But now I need some pretzel time.”  
Howl chuckled and embraced him. Hiki called the time right after sex “pretzel time” because they always cuddled with their arms wrapped around each other and their legs entangled like a pretzel.  
“Are you okay? How’s your body?” Howl asked as he kissed Hiki’s forehead.  
“My body hasn’t felt that good in a while. Don’t worry. I’m more than fine.” Hiki smiled. “I’m so happy. Too happy for words.”  
“Me too,” Howl replied. “Hikkun, let’s take a bath. You’ll catch a cold if you lie around all sweaty without clothes on.  
“Okay. Just one more minute,” Hiki said as he snuggled closer against Howl’s chest.  
Howl sighed. Hiki was so cute that it was unfair. “You’re gonna fall asleep. Come on. Let’s get up. There’s water in the tub already and the tub is heated, so it’ll still be warm.”  
“Woah, really? Amazing… All right, let’s go.” They untangled their limbs from each other and got up. When Hiki began making his way towards the bathroom he suddenly staggered. “Wah!”  
“Woah! Hikkun!” Howl grabbed his arm so that Hiki wouldn’t fall. “I guess we overdid it a bit after all, huh?”  
Hiki blushed.  
“Please don’t struggle now. Let me help you,” Howl said and lifted Hiki up to carry him to the bathroom.  
Hiki didn’t struggle. He let Howl bring him to the bathroom where they took a quick shower and Howl helped him clean himself so that he wouldn’t get a stomachache from his semen later. Then, he carried Hiki over to the big tub. The water was just the right temperature.  
Hiki still felt a bit shy because of the big glass wall, but he was too happy to worry about it. He sat between Howl’s legs and leaned back against his husband. Hiki sighed loudly. “Haa… This is perfect.”  
“I’m happy that you’re happy,” Howl said. He slid his fingers up and down Hiki’s arm languidly.  
“Howl, what are we gonna do tomorrow?”  
“Is there anything special you want to do?”  
“Well, I looked up Akita on the internet yesterday and there are many things here I’d like to see. There are several museums and shrines…and a zoo. There’s also a big market and we could go to the mall and buy souvenirs for Sophie, Hajime, Aniki, Kaito, and Kinsley…”  
“We have two weeks, so we can go everywhere you want.”  
“Okay, then…let’s go to the zoo tomorrow.”  
“All right.”  
They went silent for a moment, then Howl suddenly asked, “Hikkun… When we get back, would you like to stay at the house? We could move there permanently.”  
“Huh? Why would we do that?” Hiki wondered.  
“Well, I thought you might not want to go back to the condo. Because of what happened there. I thought that you might feel uncomfortable there.”  
“Howl…” Hiki moved to turn around. “It’s our home. What happened was…bad, but I would never give up my home because of that. We made so many wonderful memories there. I’m looking forward to go back. I mean, I love our house too, but I miss our condo a lot. It’s where we spend most of our time together, after all.” Hiki smiled. “I want everything to return to normal as soon as possible. I love our life and I love you.”  
Howl leaned over, reached out, guided Hiki’s chin towards him and kissed him on the lips tenderly.  
Hiki blushed. “What was that for?”  
Howl didn’t answer his question. “Come back here. It’s cold without you,” he said instead, pointing to his chest.  
Hiki shrugged and returned to his former position.  
Howl embraced him from behind. “I love you, Hikkun.”  
“I love you too.”  
They stayed silent for the rest of the time and enjoyed the warmth and closeness.  
When they were done with their bath, they had dinner and went straight to bed afterwards. It was late and both were very sleepy.

They had two wonderful weeks in Akita. Hiki recovered as well. Howl had to force him to take breaks once in a while, though.  
They visited all the places Hiki wanted to see and spent every night in their private outdoor bath...with occasional “exercises” afterwards.  
On the day of their departure, Hiki was extremely excited to get back home. He had enjoyed his trip, but he really missed their own bed.

“Haaaaa… It’s so good to be home!” Hiki exclaimed as they entered their condo.  
They brought in their luggage and several bags full of souvenirs.  
“I’m gonna unpack and do the laundry real quick” Hiki decided.  
“Hikkun, aren’t you hungry? It’s afternoon already. The last time we ate was this morning.”  
“Oh, that’s right. Hmm… But we don’t have any groceries. We should’ve gone shopping on our way here.”  
“Yeah, we didn’t think about that. How about we order in? Or do you want to go out?”  
“No, we just arrived. I don’t want to leave again. Let’s order in. We can order enough so that we’ll have something left for breakfast too. And tomorrow, I’m going shopping.”  
“‘We’re’ going shopping. When I get back from work. You’re not going alone. You’ll overdo it.”  
“I’ll be fine.”  
“You can be so stubborn. Okay, how about you go shopping but you’ll use the delivery service?”  
“Okay, okay. Talk about stubborn…” Hiki winked at Howl.  
“I guess we both are, huh?” Howl chuckled.  
They ordered food from their favorite restaurant and, while they were waiting for it to be delivered, Hiki unpacked and did the laundry. Then they ate and had their dessert on the big new sofa while enjoying a movie.

Two weeks later, after Howl had caught up with his work, they decided to spend the weekend at their house. Howl had worked really hard and Hiki thought he was the one who needed a little break this time.  
They invited Sophie, Hiroki, Hajime and Hiki’s best friend, Kaito, who was back from overseas, over to give them their souvenirs.  
It went really well between Hiroki and Sophie, which made Hiki incredibly happy.  
Everything went back to normal. Howl was working a lot, Hiki was studying hard for his exams… Most of the time, Hiki felt like nothing bad had ever happened. But sometimes, when something triggered him, the bad memories caught up to Hiki and, occasionally, he had nightmares. He also avoided going near the woods behind their backyard.  
But he was able to handle his anxieties well with Howl’s help.  
In the end, Hiki knew that everything would be alright as long as Howl was by his side.

The end

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you can picture the NSFW scene better, the positions they use it this at first: http://sexpositions.club/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/8_2.png  
> And then they switch to this one: http://sexpositions.club/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/3_5_3.png


	15. Extra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a little Sophie x Hiroki Extra.   
> Hopw you'll enjoy it :)

Sophie and Hiroki Extra

“Are we really gonna do this?” Sophie asked sceptically.   
“I guess…I mean, I want to. Don't you?” Hiroki replied.   
They started dating around five weeks ago. The situation was a little tense since they were in the middle of that Fujimura situation, but they felt attracted to each other the minute they met at Hiki’s and Howl’s house.   
Love at first bickering is what you could call it, since that was the first thing they did.   
Sophie thought Hiroki was very attractive, but, to be honest, she underestimated him a little bit at first. She thought he was just a stupid yakuza. It was only later that night, when they were talking alone, that she realized what a wonderful and loving and deep person he was.   
It wasn't Sophie's style to fall in love just like that. She couldn't even say that she seriously fell in love with someone before.   
But with Hiroki, it was different.   
He was a strong man who cared about the people he loved so much that he would sacrifice his own life for them without thinking. And he was incredibly smart and kind. He also had a tough past…   
Just like Sophie.   
They both had lost people they loved. Hiroki had lost his little brother who was killed right in front of him, and Sophie had lost her beloved father when she was younger. It had always been just her and Howl against the world for the longest time. Until Howl met Hiki and she got a little brother.   
She was happy for Howl and she loved Hiki and adored him, but sometimes, she felt a bit lonely. So she focused all her attention on her work as a dojo instructor. Her goal was to have her own dojo one day.   
But work became secondary after Howl had told her about what had happened to Hiki. It wasn't easy to get off from work, but her family always came first. Hiki needed support and she wanted to be there for him.   
They had a really strong bond.   
On their wedding day, she was the one who walked Hiki down the aisle. Most of his family wasn't there. They couldn't make it due to their “work”. Apparently, it was a rough time for the Ueda’s back then because they were in the middle of a feud with another clan.   
Would she have fallen in love with Hiroki back then, she wondered.   
Falling in love… That was still a weird thought for her.   
Everyone kept joking about Sophie and Hiroki having kids and getting married, but to her, even after such a short time, it was a thought she liked a lot. Hiroki was the first person in her life who had triggered those kinds of thoughts and feelings. Sometimes, she got mad at herself for becoming drunk in love. But then she thought about Hiroki. His voice, his eyes, about the things he said and how he said them. About his awkwardness… He was really cute. So why fight those wonderful thoughts and feelings?   
She decided not to. She decided to be open to love and she hoped Hiroki would be too.   
Though it wasn't easy at first. After Hiki and Howl had left for Akita, Hiroki had to work a lot. He was the leader of a big clan. He barely had time off. Sure, his father was the head, but he left most of the work to his oldest son.   
Hiroki came over to the house as often as he could. He tried his best not to show it, but he was pretty tired. Even though Sophie told him not to come and to rest instead, he wouldn't listen.   
After a week, Sophie had to go back home. She wasn't that sad about it though, because it would give Hiroki time to recover. And, it would give them both some time to think about what would happen next.   
But they talked on the phone or had video calls every day... 

On the day Hiki and Howl had their “after vacation family dinner”, they snuck out and had a talk. 

“Are we really gonna do this?” Sophie asked.   
“I guess… I mean, I want to. Don't you?”  
“I do. But it's a big step. We've only been dating for about five weeks… I just want to make sure you're 100% sure.”  
“I think I've never been so sure about anything in my entire life. You're the one who decides, though. You'll have to sacrifice a lot.”   
“Hmm… I mean, sure, I love my job and it's an honor to work for a great sensei, but other than that, there is nothing that keeps me in Osaka. My whole family is here in Tokyo, after all. Howl, Hiki…and you. So moving here is only logical, right? I can even take the opportunity and open up my own dojo. It's been my dream for a while now. I can look for an apartment, and we can see each other whenever we want.” Sophie smiled.  
Hiroki returned her smile, leaned forward, cupped her face, and kissed her gently. “You want to tell the others?” he asked, kissing her again and brushing her long, blonde hair to one side.   
“Yeah. Hiki will probably explode.” She chuckled.   
They went back to tell the others the good news.   
Sophie and Hiroki were ready to start a new adventure…together. 

The end.


End file.
